


Taking the Long Road

by Prince_Duke



Series: Hitting the Road [2]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: A lil bit of everything, Breeder!Will, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pokemon AU, Slow Burn, Trainer!Nico
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-06
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2018-09-22 07:53:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 140,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9594002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prince_Duke/pseuds/Prince_Duke
Summary: With 3 Badges under his belt, Nico and Will continue out on their journey through Olympia with their Pokemon. Their plans are taken by the wayside with a variety of different obstacles, including a growing threat in the form of an underground organization growing in power.Pokemon AU.





	1. To The Next Town!

“C’mon, Nico. Wake up, silly.”

Nico hesitated, shifting in his spot with a sleep-ridden mind, his eyes still shut. The warm air was too enjoyable, and he wanted to sleep all day under the shade of the tree. Even the buzzing of the Bug Pokemon was lazy and slow.

He sat up anyways, because summer vacation was finally here, and he couldn’t wait to spend it with Bianca.

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, Nico turned to see his sister rummaging through her bag. He felt happy, but as he was about to stand up, he hesitated. Something wasn’t right. Something was about to happen, but he couldn’t quite think of _what_ , exactly. All he knew was a fear in the back of his mind.

“Ready to head back home?” Bianca asked, standing up and adjusting her bag onto her back.

Nico didn’t answer. He stared into the forest, which was glaring back menacingly. “… Bianca? I don’t …”

Nico’s voice trailed off as he turned to look at his sister. But she had already started walking off, not paying attention to him.

“Bianca? Bianca!” Nico scrambled to his feet, sprinting to his sister. “Wait! Hold up!”

She ignored him, continuing to walk down the road home. She was impossibly far, and Nico couldn’t sprint fast enough to catch up. As he ran, Nico slowed down as he noticed that the forest was no longer buzzing. The Pokemon had fallen silent.

Nico came to a stop, trying to catch his breath. Bianca had walked so far he couldn’t even see her anymore. He suddenly felt very alone. Wondering what to do next, Nico jumped when a bush beside him started rustling. He hadn’t even noticed it was there just a second ago.

Afraid and alone, Nico’s mind told him to get out of there, to run and find Bianca. But his legs walked towards the bush. It rustled more violently as he got closer, and he saw his hands part the leaves. He saw Bianca, against a tree, before a Pokemon jumped out of the shadows, its jaws rushing forward with sharp teeth.

The last thing he saw was the fiery, crazed eyes of the Pokemon before the world plunged into darkness with a blood curling scream.

 

* * *

 

 

Nico gasped as he jolted into a sitting position, flailing in his sleeping bag. After the initial feeling of panic, he took a deep breath as his nerves settled. Wiping the damp hair stuck to his forehead, Nico unzipped his sleeping bag to let the cool air in. The midnight frost helped to cool down the sleeping bag, which felt uncomfortably hot against Nico’s skin, even in a thin tee and boxers.

Nico rubbed his temple, eyes closed. The dream was becoming a regular occurrence, every time shifting and changing in small ways. The moon was still shining softly down into the dark night. It was probably one or two in the morning if Nico had to guess. Next to him, Cubone lay curled in a ball, sound asleep, and on his other side, Will and Igglybuff were snoring lightly.

On the road for a few days, they were expecting to reach the next town by tomorrow. It was called Bellus City, and according to Nurse Joy before they left, it was one of two central cities in Olympia. This one was known for being a metropolis that was the hub for entertainment and large corporations. The big city. Nico was kind of excited for the change in scenery for once. It had been countryside for a long part of the journey, and with the exception of Lavarge, he hadn’t seen anything past small townhouses and cobblestone roads.

But before they could get there, though, they would need to get through a winding path that traveled along a river and some cliff sides that were full of trainers. The trainers were getting better, though, and Nico was having a good time battling so many different Pokemon.

Nico ruffled his hair one more time, taking a look around the area. The dimly lit forest was silent and still, with no sign of any Pokemon awake, ravenous or otherwise. But it was still creeping Nico out, and he made a silent note to check out any compact camping tents or something like it when they finally got to the city.

Nico sighed and pulled the sleeping bag back over himself, reluctant to go back to sleep. But the night wasn’t going to go by any faster if he stayed awake.

 

* * *

 

The first thing Will noticed upon waking up was the lack of sunlight that usually pried his eyes open in the morning. The second was the figure looming over him. And if that wasn’t the scariest thing to wake up to, Will wouldn’t have jumped out of his skin as much as he did.

“Augh!”

Will tried to get up as fast as he could, only to trip over inside the sleeping bag and fall face first onto the ground.

“Psyyy-duck.”

Will rolled over and tried to unzip the sleeping bag, freeing a hand to rub his nose. The source of the noise was a Psyduck, standing exactly over where Will’s head was.

“Psyyy-duck.”

The two stared at each other in silence. For Will, mainly because part of him was recovering from a heart attack.

Hurried footsteps emerged from the forest as Nico and Cubone shuffled back to camp.

“What happened?”

“Well,” Will began. “This little guy happened.” Will pointed at the Psyduck. “He just sort of … appeared.”

Nico looked over Psyduck before lowering his guard. Probably thought the Pokemon wasn’t a threat (to which Will would disagree with). “What was the yell then?”

“… Okay, okay, I woke up and it scared me.” Will shook his head at the Psyduck, who continued to stare blankly into nothingness. It wasn’t until Will brushed himself off and stood up did Psyduck look between Will and Nico before giving another “Psyyy-duck”.

Other than that, though, it continued to stare blankly as it held its hands on either side of its head.

“What do you think it wants?”

“I don’t know. They have huge headaches all the time. It probably just wandered here from the stream down the road,” Will said. “Hey, where’s Igglybuff?”

Will looked around, but there was no trace of the Pokemon in sight.

“Igglybuff was still sleeping when I got up,” Nico began. “It hasn’t been that long.”

Before Will could go into a crazed panic, though, his bag shook slightly as a pink puff emerged from his bag. Igglybuff plopped out lazily in a cascade of wrappers and a face full of crumbs. Will picked the Pokemon up with a sigh.

“Igglybuff, c’mon. You’ve got to stop eating all the snacks you want. We’re almost out.”

“Igglybuff,” the Pokemon replied sleepily.

Will put the Pokemon down before cleaning up the wrappers and putting his bag back in order. After taking stock of their remaining food (enough for a day, at least) and reorganizing a few things, Will slung the bag over his shoulder and turned to Nico.

“We can start the walk and eat as we go after I put away my sleeping bag if you want. Gotta get a head start on the day.”

“Um,” Nico tried to suppress an amused look, but failed. “Will? You’re still in your pajamas.”

Will looked down at his orange tee and shorts. “Oh, ha. Let me just get ready then.”

Nico and Cubone left back into the forest with Igglybuff in tow, leaving Will alone to get dressed into more appropriate clothing for hiking and the like. He pulled out a pair of jeans and a blue shirt with a Poliwag decal on it. Will had started to pull on the hem of his shirt when he realized that the Psyduck was still behind him, still unmoving and in its own world.

“Do you mind?”

Psyduck didn’t move at all, prompting Will to walk to it and tentatively spinning the Pokemon around slowly. Still unmoving, Psyduck let out, “Psyyy”.

Figuring the Pokemon wasn’t going to move, Will started to change.

 

_~_

 

On the road through this part of the region was nice to Will. It was a nice mix of mountain-y forest, complete with the roar of a running river that traveled parallel to the path they were on. The Pokemon were getting diverse too: Will spotted a pair of Eevees pouncing around the river bank, a Teddiursa trying to infiltrate a Combee nest, and even a gang of Arons on their way up the mountain. It was all incredibly exciting to Will.

And then there was Psyduck. Will had nothing against the Pokemon, and his Breeder-upbringing made him naturally inclined to be nice to Pokemon, but the Pokemon was just following them around. Since they started to travel down the route, Psyduck had followed closely behind, with a _squish, squish, squish_ of its waddle and the occasional “Psyyy-duck”.

It wouldn’t be a problem if the Pokemon _responded_ to them in any way. Really, anything other than holding its head as it stared into parallel dimensions would suffice. Will looked over his shoulder every few hundred feet, and it would still be there, following at a respectable distance away.

Will _knew_ it was following them, too, because any time they would stop for a battle with a trainer or something else, it would stop.

Soon it was midday, and the route opened into a clearing with benches and a clear access to the river. The place was a bit lively, with a small gathering of young trainers and passerby’s. It was like a park of sorts. A park in the middle of the wild with nothing but a couple of tables to pass the time.

 _‘That’s the best kind of park,’_ Will thought sarcastically. But it was nice, he supposed.

“Are you gonna…?” Will asked Nico, pointing to the trainers to the right, who were already eyeing them as they entered the area. Younger kids with ambitions to beat the world with their Rattatas and Bug-types.

“Yeah, might as well,” Nico sighed. “Not like they’re going to let me walk to the other end of this place without stopping us.”

“Cool. I’m gonna be over here,” Will started walking to the river, unhooking Hoppip’s Pokeball from his belt. “Have fun!” Will called with a false enthusiasm. He knew Nico was _entirely_ against battling those kinds of trainers. Their egos were bigger than their battling skills, which was annoying for Nico. Will found it kind of endearing and funny.

When Hoppip was released from its Pokeball, it spun around happily before flying down to greet Igglybuff. The two were best friends at this point. Will took a seat down by the riverbank as Igglybuff and Hoppip splashed around the shore, collecting rocks and making piles. Will was more than happy to see the schools of Magikarp pass by as they were pushed away with the current, their flimsy bodies flopping helplessly in the water.

It wasn’t long before Will heard a familiar _squish, squish, squish_ , followed by a “Psyy-duck”. Will sighed and looked over his shoulder, seeing the Psyduck standing a few feet away.

“You’re not going to leave us alone, are you?”

The silence was more than enough of an answer. Will shook his head before returning to watching Igglybuff and Hoppip play.

 

* * *

 

 

“Aw man, I thought for sure Caterpie had it this time…”

 _‘Yeah, just like the Caterpie before that, and the Weedle before that, and the Rattata before that,’_ Nico thought blankly, rolling his eyes.

It took less than a second for another trainer to step up and issue a challenge. The girl pointed out her finger, Pokeball in hand. “You’re not going to beat me as easily as these other wimps!”

Nico didn’t even bother looking at her as she tossed her Pokeball forward.

 _‘Ten bucks says it’s a Pidgey,’_ Nico thought to himself.

The Pokemon turned out to be a Spearow that flew out in a haphazard circle before landing sloppily.

_‘Close enough.’_

The battle took a total of 40 seconds, in which Cubone landed a single Headbutt against the Spearow, which had used Growl (“Try attacking after this!” the girl had said).

Fortunately, she was the last of the whole bunch, which was a relief. The trainers looked at each other before spreading out, leaving Nico alone. Soon the place had gone back to how it was when they got there.

Nico turned to find Will, who was still sitting down by the river. Readjusting his belt, Nico took a step forward when he heard a heavy rustling coming from his right, away from the Route, making him freeze on the spot.

The dense shrubbery shook with force, as if a Pokemon was moving through the underbrush. Nico’s mind went blank as he recalled the faint memories of the night from earlier. Against his better judgment, Nico took a step closer. The rustling became more pronounced, but Nico simply stood there. He felt like his legs had locked.

With a sudden rustling and a tremendous growl, a Pokemon charged out of the brush. It happened so fast, Nico only caught a flash of canine teeth.

Nico tripped backward, his eyes closed as his heart pounded out of his chest.

“Nico?”

Percy’s voice brought Nico to his senses. Nico opened his eyes to see a large Houndoom standing over him with its tongue out, and Percy standing next to it. He was covered in dirt and his clothes were ragged.

“Percy?”

“What’re you doing down there? Wait, no – have you seen any suspicious people around? Like, people in uniforms?”

“Uh, no?” Nico got up, still dazed and out of breath. “No. Why were you in the forest?”

“That’s not important,” Percy replied, looking around the clearing. “There’s some people dressed in some sort of uniform that I’m looking for. They’re, like, a cult or something.”

“Cult?”

“Yeah, yeah. They’re dressed in some earthy colors. Green, brown, those kinds. You know, like –“

A man burst out of the forest where the route started up again, panting and generally looking worse off than Percy. He buckled at the knees and wiped his forehead, holding a few PokéBalls in his other hand. The Houndoom next to Percy growled and hunched down, barring its teeth.

The man was dressed in a brown leather jacket and forest green shirt, with a dark green bandana tied around his neck. It took him a split second to look up with terror in his eyes before jolting in the direction of the river. That was when Nico saw the stylized “T” emblazoned on the back of his jacket. It was the symbol from those thieves in Pyre Cave.

“Hey!” Percy yelled, sprinting after the man, his Houndoom following after him.

Nico chased after Percy, hesitating only for a second when he considered telling Will. Cubone ran with him to the river, where the man had pulled out a different Pokeball from his jacket pocket and tossed it into the river.

A large Lotad was sent out in a flash of red light, splashing into the water and swimming against the current. The man hopped onto the Pokemon and together the pair began to briskly cross the running water.

Percy stopped at the edge, cursing. “The _one day_ I don’t have a Water-type on me… Nico! Do you?”

Nico shook his head but unhooked Murkrow’s PokeBall. He tossed Murkrow out, telling the Pokemon, “Murkrow, follow that guy crossing the river there. If he stops, find us. Be safe, okay?”

“Murk!” The Pokemon spread its wings and taking into the air, flying over the oak trees and shrubbery.

“Okay, now what?” Nico said.

“We find a way to cross the river, and not let that guy get away.”

Percy was right. The man belonged to those thieves back in the cave, and Nico wanted nothing more than to find those people and stop them. But first, he had to go get Will.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New work, so exciting! Let's get cracking.
> 
> Thanks for reading! If you like there's a comment button down there. You'll make me incredibly happy.
> 
> Cheers!


	2. Through the River and Back Again

This was insane. Three people and their Pokemon running after some crook in the middle of the forest was absolutely _bonkers_. And all the prep Will got before it was Nico and the Percy guy coming back, quickly explaining about a guy with a jacket before the pair started discussing crossing the river. He barely had time to put Hoppip back into its PokeBall, and now he was sopping wet, following an enormous Houndoom, and getting slapped in the face with branches every few seconds.

_Thwack_.

Gods damn it all.

“If you don’t mind me asking – pfft – what are we hoping to accomplish?” Will asked. The tufts of leaves didn’t help his case.

“Catch this guy, get the things he stole, and find out more about what or who he’s working for,” Percy calmly stated. The guy didn’t even break a sweat. And Mother Nature wasn’t swatting _him_ with branches and leaves.

Igglybuff was having a good time, though, riding on Will’s shoulders and squealing with puffs of delight as they raced through the forest. The leaves started to change to a more dry variety, and the branches were become less. He could see a variety of Pokemon going about their business in his peripheral vision off to the side, including a startled looking Slakoth hanging off a branch Will almost hit.

“There’s your Murkrow.” Percy told Nico, pointing upwards through some trees up ahead. The Pokemon was circling in the same spot, occasionally cawing down to something under it. It was probably the crook.

Percy’s Houndoom picked up the pace, to which Percy and Nico followed. _‘Oh c’mon!’_ Will thought. His legs were killing him and his face and arms were starting to feel sore from getting smacked by non-sentient vegetation. Nonetheless, he ran faster to catch up.

The forest broke into a clearing against a steep cliff side, easily four stories tall. The grunt guy was looking up the cliff, grabbing at the rocks desperately with his free hand. Houndoom slid to a halt and barred its fangs, making the grunt jump and turn in an instant.

“L-look! I don’t want any trouble –”

“Who’re you working for?” Percy interrupted in a cold, demanding tone.

“Listen, I’m just following orders! I don’t know anything!”

Houndoom snarled even more, coiling back as if getting ready to lunge. Percy took a step forward, holding out his hand. “Then at least give me back what you stole.”

Will swore if Percy could sound any more intimidating his voice could pierce a person like a dagger.

The grunt tried to take a step back against the wall before slowly reaching down to his pocket, where Will could only assume a PokéBall was. A loud bark from Houndoom stopped him, though, and the grunt went back to trying to morph into the cliff behind him.

“F-fine. Take it.” The grunt slowly held out the PokeBalls, looking nervously to his side. Percy looked where the grunt was eyeing suspiciously.

“Houndoom, check if –“

A ball of fire shot out of the forest on the other end of the clearing, crashing against the ground next to Percy, and bursting on impact. Percy stumbled before regaining his balance, yelling “Houndoom!”

The Pokemon leapt forward and inhaled, its mouth filling with flames, before releasing a Flamethrower attack into the woods where the fireball came. Will took a few steps back, tugging on Nico’s bag to force him out of the way.

Another fireball shot back in response. Percy was ready, though.

“Intercept it!” he yelled. Houndoom leapt towards the fireball, which seemed to dissipate into the Pokémon’s fur harmlessly. In turn, Houndoom’s mouth began flickering with flames that looked particularly nasty. An ability of sorts, Will figured. Probably Flash Fire.

Murkrow came back down, and Nico recalled it back into its PokeBall quickly. Replacing the PokeBall back into his belt, Nico and Cubone joined Percy. Will wanted to stay back, though. Confronting ominous threats wasn’t really his thing.

Silence settled for a moment as Percy waited for something to happen. The grunt was still backed up against the wall, but he looked less scared and more relieved. Whatever had come to his rescue was rustling around in the forest. It wasn’t long before another grunt, much younger looking, stepped out of the forest with a Gourgeist next to her. She stood looking between Percy and the other grunt, but didn’t say a thing. The only thing she expressed was the scowl on her face.

Percy clenched his fists. “Knock it off – “

The Gourgeist rapidly launched a Shadow Ball that Houndoom intercepted. Percy’s Pokemon retaliated with a Flamethrower attack that felt like it seared Will’s skin even from back where he was standing. The Gourgeist seemed unaffected, though, and proceeding to radiate a putrid purple, creating a barrage of floating Shadow Balls around itself.

“Nico,” Will warned. He wasn’t entirely confident that a Pokemon that could endure a Flash Fire boosted Flamethrower would be something they could somehow deal with.

The Gourgeist released its attack with a flash of its eyes, shooting the Shadow Balls at them. Twenty feet. Ten feet. Will flinched as the volley got closer and then –

“Psyyy.”

Will’s heart skipped a beat as the Shadow Balls stopped in midair, completely immobile. A _squish, squish, squish_ of webbed feet came from the direction they had come, and Psyduck waddled out into the clearing in a strangely blank sort of way.

“Psyyy.”

The Pokemon held its head and stared into nothing until it waved its hand and the Shadow Balls dissolved in psychic blue energy.

Everyone was dumbfounded, staring at the Psyduck with amazement. Even the grunts and the Gourgeist.

Will snapped out of it, though, and in the corner of his eye, he saw the grunt against the wall trying to tiptoe towards his accomplices. “Hey!” Will yelled, lunging at the grunt, grabbing at the hem of his jacket. The grunt struggled before yanking back hard, lurching Will forward facedown onto the ground.

It was hard what happened next with a face-full of dirt covering his immediate vision, but Will didn’t have it in him to move after taking a beating by inanimate leaves followed by a faceplant to the floor. Instead, he took a breather before getting off the dirt and into a sitting position. Igglybuff began prodding him hurriedly with rapid puffs, but Will waved the Pokemon off.

“Not now, Iggs.” Will said. Percy and Nico had hurried off in the short second the ground had punched him in the face. Instead of going after them, Will decided to stay put. It didn’t take long for them to come back, looking disappointed and really frustrated.

“They got away,” Percy began. “And I really, _really_ can’t run all day.” He sighed and ruffled his hair, looking around the clearing. His eyes landed on Will, brightening up. “Nice shirt, dude. Good taste.”

Will looked down at his shirt, completely blanking on what he was wearing. Poliwhirl tee. “Thanks …?” Will said. How this guy went from super serious to casually complimenting shirts was beyond him.

“What now?” Nico asked.

“Not sure. I want to get those Pokemon back, but…” Percy sighed again. “Probably can’t find them anymore.”

Igglybuff kept poking Will in the side persistently, but Will was more focused on the conversation. Until Igglybuff jabbed him hard.

“Ow! Iggs! Yes, what is it?” Will turned to Igglybuff.

“Buff!” The Pokemon exclaimed, gesturing to two PokéBalls it had close by. The PokéBalls the grunt had had.

“Whoa, good catch, Iggs!” Will said. He gave the Pokemon a pat on the head and picked up the PokéBalls. “Percy, Nico! Check it out.”

Will held out the PokéBalls, which Percy jumped to. “These are …? How’d you get them?”

“Igglybuff had them. I guess the grunt must have dropped them?”

“Buff!” Igglybuff pouted. It shook its head and pointed at itself. “Iggly!”

Will raised an eyebrow with a grin. “You took them? When?”

“Igglybuff! Buff!” The Pokemon replied excitedly. Igglybuff must have snatched them in the split second Will had grabbed the grunt. That was both really impressive and really worrying. Will would need to find out where the little guy had learned _to steal_.

“Well, whatever.” Percy said. “I’ll get these back to the owner back in Bellus. Must be worried sick.” Will handed the PokéBalls to Percy, who hooked them onto his belt.

“Before you go,” Nico said. “What do you know about those guys?”

“Not much.” Percy said, scratching behind Houndoom’s ear. “Just that they’re a small group of good-for-nothings going around doing sneaky stuff. Honestly, I haven’t heard much about them. I wouldn’t worry too much. They’re probably just lame wannabe poachers trying to make a quick buck. I’d still be careful, though.”

“Right. But we’ve come across these guys before.”

“Really?” Percy looked up. “We’ll have to talk later, then. I have some things I gotta do back in Bellus after I return these guys.” He said, patting his belt. “But like I said, don’t stress it.”

Nico didn’t seem very content with the answer, and Will didn’t either, with good reason. The encounter in the cave wasn’t just “lame wannabes”, and _this_ encounter wasn’t helping. For a group of amateurs, the grunts had certainly given them a run for their money. Then there was the mention of a boss back in Lavarge from those two other grunts…

“Well, I gotta get going. But before that, here.” Percy unzipped the bag he had slung over his shoulder and revealed a Pokemon Egg from it. It was decently sized, about twice as big as Igglybuff was. Percy held the egg out to Nico. “I got this the other day, but I figure raising a Pokemon might do you good.”

_‘_ I _certainly don’t need the experience,’_ Will thought, amused. He had helped raised too many Pokemon from Eggs to count. But he agreed, it was something Nico would get a good experience from.

“Uh, okay.” Nico said, taking the Egg awkwardly. “What do I do with it?”

Will laughed, but it was an honest question. With a sleeping bag strapped over two other bags, it was going to be difficult to lug around an egg.

“Here,” Will said. He took the egg and unzipped Nico’s top bag, taking out some of his clothes. He then placed the egg inside and replaced the clothes back inside. The bag was bulging near, the top, but it would have to do.

“Isn’t it going to break?” Nico asked.

“Nah. Pokemon Eggs are ridiculously resilient. It would take more than a dozen Snorlax sitting on top to even crack it. Besides, the warm will do the Egg some good. It helps the Pokemon develop better.” Will zipped up the backpack.

“You know a lot about Pokemon Eggs.” Percy remarked.

“Well, I am a Breeder.”

“Neat.” Percy nodded in approval. “Props, man. Well, I gotta go.”

They said their goodbyes and promises to meet at the Southside Pokemon Center at Bellus. Percy climbed onto Houndoom (Why hadn’t they done that before?) and disappeared into the brush leading back to the Route.

That was when Will realized they had to walk all the way back. And then cross the river. Again.

“This has been the worst day for my health.”

“Running is good for you, Solace.”

“Running while getting abused by the Earth itself for _five miles_ is _not_ healthy! _And_ we were soaking wet!”

“We could stay here then.” Nico retorted. “In this dense forest. The dense, later-to-be dark, creepy forest.”

On second thought, Will very much wanted to return back to the main road.

“Fine, but we’re going slowly. I think my legs are bruised.”

Igglybuff climbed onto Will’s shoulder once again. Just as they were preparing to leave, a noise sounded.

“Psyyyy-duck!”

Will had all but forgotten about the Psyduck. But there the Pokemon was, facing away from them, exactly where it had been when it got there. The little guy was just all kinds of weird. But it had saved them, and it was probably going to follow them around no matter what.

“C’mon, you too, Psyduck.” Will called out.

The Pokemon stood unresponsive for a while, but slowly it turned around and began to follow them, forever looking forward with unfocused eyes.

“Psyyy.”

 

~

 

His feet were wet. And his pants. And part of his shirt. But that was the cost of justice.

Upon getting back to the little clearing past the river, they received weird looks and dumbfounded stares. Will couldn’t care less, but he was tempted to ask around to see if anyone had any Fire-types to help them dry off.

Instead, they were now on their way to Bellus again. Nico and Will had compromised stopping at a third of the way to rest, although Will had wanted to barter a fourth of the way. Simply put, soggy pants was _not_ the way to hike.

Thankfully, there wasn’t any trainers to challenge Nico along the way. Even if there had been, Will was ready to pull the red card and eject for the sake of wanting the day to end faster.

“Are you going to catch that Psyduck?”

“Uh,” Will looked behind him, where the Pokemon in question was waddling at a decent pace. “Don’t you want him?”

“Pfft. Its very clearly attached to you.” Nico replied.

“You think?”

“Why else would it be following us since morning after crossing the river and saving us, then continue to follow?”  
“Good point.” Will said. He desperately wanted to eat some food and pass out, though. And that wouldn’t happen until they got to the compromise point. “After lunch, though.”

The rest of the trip was relatively uneventful. His clothes got drier, although they were still fairly damp, and the only thing that was noteworthy was a flock of Starlys had almost flown right into them. After a meager lunch (Igglybuff had made sure to wipe out any good stuff earlier, leaving only some bland tasting stuff Will regretted buying), Will turned his attention to Psyduck, which was still following them, emotionless as ever. A piece of bread Will had given it was still sitting at its feet, but Will didn’t blame the Pokemon. That bread was the stalest thing he’d ever had. It probably had something to do with the fact it was at least a week old. The simple fact that it hadn’t started molding was proof alone that the thing was bad. But Will would need to hold off the nutrition lecture for later.

“Well, you did help us. And you seem pretty attached, so … you want to join us?” Will asked the Pokemon as he knelt in front of him.

Nothing.

“Okay … I’m just going to…” Will dug out a regular PokeBall from his bag and tossed it at Psyduck. The ball hit Psyduck on the head with a thunk before capturing the Pokemon in a red light. The PokeBall landed on the ground, and it began shaking. One shake, two shakes –

Psyduck burst out of the PokeBall, breaking the thing in pieces across the ground.

“Psyyy.”

“What?” Will exclaimed, snatching the broken PokeBall pieces and stuffing them into his pants. “What do you want, then?”

“Will?” Nico said, mildly amused.

“Yeah?”

“You might want to battle it first.”

“Oh. Right.”

Will had caught Hoppip so easily, he assumed Psyduck had wanted to be caught, too. But still, he couldn’t be blamed for the obvious amateur mistake.

“Well, I guess you’re up, Iggs.” Will told Igglybuff, who was watching from its spot near Will’s other stuff, chewing away at a piece of the stale bread.

“Iggs!” The Pokemon called, tossing the bread, and joining Will at his side.

Will hadn’t battled in a while. Since Nico way back when, actually. He was pretty confident in his battling skills, if Will said so himself.

Will backed up a bit, making some space for the battle. “Ready, Psyduck?”

“Psyyy.”

_‘Well, finally a response_.’ Will thought.

“Okay, I guess we’ll start. Iggs, use Pound!”

Igglybuff bounced forward and wound up its attack before using Pound on Psyduck. The Pokemon fell backward, but didn’t get up.

“Iggs didn’t knock Psyduck out on one hit, did it?”

“No.” Nico showed his Monitor to Will. “It barely took any damage. It’s just … laying on the ground.”

“Psyyy.”

The Pokemon continued to lay on its back, still holding its head and positioned as if it was standing up. It didn’t seem to want to attack.

Will contemplated stopping the battle, but thought on it again. He took out another PokeBall and tossed it at Psyduck, still unmoving. The ball captured the Pokemon and immediately clicked, followed by a capture jingle on Nico’s monitor.

“That’s it? That wasn’t even a battle!” Will said in disbelief.

Will picked the PokeBall up and clicked it onto his belt, joining Hoppip’s ball.

“That was weird.” Nico commented.

Will agreed, but it wasn’t like Psyduck wasn’t going to follow them around anyway. And if Will had to admit, he was getting kind of attached to the little guy. With the blank stare and unfaltering emotions and whatnot.

Having a third Pokemon alone made Will pretty excited. He’d have to get a group picture with them and send it to Cecil and his mom later.

But first they had to get to Bellus, which was right around the corner after another half hour walk. They’d reach it by 10 AM easy if they got up early the next day. Then they’d have a sweet, sweet bed to rest in and a dry, river free place to stay.

Now if only he could find something for the bruises that had formed on his legs and cheek, he'd be golden.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say that every time I write Will's name the grammar check tries to correct the tense to present/future tense and it _kills me every time_.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading!
> 
> Cheers!


	3. Welcome to Bellus!

Psyduck was interesting, to say the least. Well, at least Nico thought so. Its appearance was pretty strange, and even stranger was how it kept following them. But Psyduck hit maximum strangeness when it appeared out of nowhere and telepathically stopped those Shadow Balls. Nico’s Monitor told him that Psyduck was strong, so Nico assumed the Pokemon was just … weird.

It was early in the morning, and the sun was just barely creeping over the horizon. Nico had just woken up and had groggily peeked out of his sleeping bag when he saw Psyduck standing over Will. Confused at first, Nico rubbed his eyes and squinted, but he wasn’t seeing things. The Pokemon was standing over Will and watching him.

For a moment, Nico's eyes started to close again. But as his brain registered what he'd seen fully, his eyes shot back open. Nico looked again. Psyduck was still there, and it was still looking at Will. With a sigh, Nico heaved himself up and opened his sleeping bag, crawling out quietly. Cubone shifted slightly, but otherwise, everything remained peaceful. Nico hesitated, wondering how to get Psyduck’s attention.

“Uh, hey,” Nico whispered. “Psyduck. _Psyduck_.”

Psyduck gave no response. _‘As expected,’_ Nico thought. Nico reached for Will’s belt sitting with the rest of their gear. He unhooked Psyduck’s Pokeball and tried recalling the Pokemon, but the thing wouldn’t work. Pressing the mechanism did nothing, and Psyduck remained stoic as ever.

Two options remained: physically move Psyduck, which would probably result in the Pokemon going back in a quick second, or allow Will to wake up and have a possible heart-attack. Not really liking either, Nico decided on a third choice.

“Will,” Nico said, tapping Will on the shoulder. “Will, come on. It’s morning.” Nico moved his shoulder.

Nothing. “Will. _Will Solace._ ”

“Uh, huh?” Will woke with a slight start, looking dazed. Looking at Nico, he grinned and gave a sleepy “Good morning. What’s up?”

“Gods, Solace, I thought _I_ was a heavy sleeper.”

Will yawned and sat up, resting his cheek on his hand, eyes closed. He took a moment before lazily saying, “I have yet to confirm that on this journey. I’d say you’re a vampire in the night, actually.”

“Harr harr. I sleep plenty.” Nico replied.

“Sure thing, Doom ‘n Gloom.”

“What?”

“Huh? I didn’t say anything.” Will said, his grin threatening to get bigger. “Anyway, what’s up? It isn’t that late, is it?”

“Well, no. But your Psyduck was staring at you as you slept again. It got out of its ball somehow.” Nico tossed Will the currently defunct PokeBall.

The ball landed on Will's lap, where Will grabbed it with his other hand. He looked at it with a half-open eye. “Really? I wonder how it did that.” He flipped the Pokeball in his hands before looking at Psyduck. “Morning, Psyduck.”

“Psyyy.”

“Back in the ball you go.” Will said, pushing the button. For whatever reason, it worked this time. Psyduck warped into the open Pokeball in a flash of red light.

“I just tried that!” Nico exclaimed. “And it didn’t work!” Something was definitely off about that Pokemon.

Will stretched his arms before replacing the Pokeball back onto the belt. “I guess you're just not worthy enough." He flopped back down onto the sleeping bag. "Honestly, though, I’m not even going to question it anymore. Psyduck is just … weird.”

_‘Exactly what I said.’_

“Let’s hit the road.” Will said, a sudden enthusiasm in his voice. He physically made no effort to move, though. “We don’t have much left.”

“What’s with the sudden joy?”

“I’m always a joy.”

Nico gave Will a blank look. The joking and banter was becoming a thing. Not that Nico was bothered by it. He wouldn’t say that in the slightest.

Will opened an eye when Nico didn't respond, and then laughed when he caught sight of Nico's expression. “Oh, come on. The biggest city in Olympia? How can you _not_ be excited?”

True. Nico hadn’t really paid much mind to the detail. He supposed it _was_ something to look forward to.

“And,” Will added, “we’re out of food.”

Nico slouched his shoulders and sighed. Great. Breakfast at noon, his favorite.

 

~

 

A few hours later, Nico could see the city in the distance. Or, the entrance to it, at least. The mountain-forest setting gave way to a tamer, drier shrubland with an arid feeling in the atmosphere. Bellus was sprawled out from left to right as far as the eye could see. An active highway road intersected into the city in various points.

They picked up the pace into a fast walk. Igglybuff bounced excitedly on Will’s back, and Will himself had a bit of a spring in his step. It didn’t take long to reach the outskirts of the city, where the road turned into paved cement. Past the entrance to town, houses and apartments were organized in neat blocks, unlike the other towns, where the buildings were placed less rigidly.

Upon reaching the entrance to Bellus, Nico noticed a map next to the sign showing the city’s name. It showed an impressively large outline of the city that was divided into four sections and labeled main roads that went from one side of the city to the other. The map was titled, “Welcome to Bellus!” in an elegant font at the top, followed by a smaller “Home of Entertainment and Opportunity” below it.

Will whistled in admiration, looking at the map from top to bottom. “Big city. Look.” He pointed at a red dot on the right-hand side, indicating their position. “We’re all the way here, in the residential part of town. There’s a business district down there, the touristy places up here. This whole side is called the seaside. Awesome!”

The entire west side of the map was sectioned in blue from the top of the city to the bottom. They had reached the coastal side of Olympia.

“Iggly! Buff!”

Will’s Pokemon jabbed its stubby arm at one of the PokéCenter points on the map, marked by a red Pokeball icon. The one Igglybuff had pointed at was the one closest to them, only three blocks down and one to the right.

“Let’s head there first,” Nico said. “And then we can find a place to eat.”

Cubone tugged on Nico’s leg, pointing its bone at the north section of the map and giving a mellow “Cubone”. The Pokemon was pointing at the tourist part of Bellus. In the center of it, a big white PokeBall with a star around it marked the Bellus City Gym. Figures that it would be in the most congested part of the whole city.

“I know, Cubone. Let’s get settled first. I’m starving.”

The walk to the Pokemon Center wasn’t too eventful. The organized streets made it hard to get lost, something that wasn’t a feature back in Lavarge. The houses looked the same, but in various colors and minor differences, as if they had all been made from the same cookie-cutter model. The other towns’ buildings had more personality, in Nico’s opinion. But the people living in those houses looked active, and kids were running around with their Pokemon beside them. Pidoves flocked onto the rooves and ledges of buildings as kids chased them away.

“They’re cute.” Will said. “I remember running around the streets as a kid.”

“Yeah? How many Pidoves did you manage to scare off?”

“Pidgeys, actually. And I spent the time trying to stop Cecil from causing chaos more than anything.”

They rounded the corner, past a house that had a Mr. Mime cleaning a window with a rag. Igglybuff waived at it and received a wave back as the Mr. Mime continued to clean. The Pokemon Center was off in the distance, its familiar red roof standing out among everything else.

The city so far looked far too bland and normal looking, and it wasn’t very impressive. Part of him felt disappointed, but he hoped that this was all just because they were in the residential part of town. Maybe the grandeur of Bellus was in the other three sections.

The glass doors of the PokéCenter slid open as they stepped onto the mat, and they headed inside. The never-changing layout of the Center greeted Nico with a burst of air-conditioned breeze. A Nurse Joy looked up from the counter, giving them a smile.

“Hello! Welcome to the Pokemon Center! How can I help you today?”

The thing that was different from the other Pokemon Centers Nico had been to was a change in the layout of the rooms. It was the first thing he noticed upon entering the room that Nurse Joy had led them to after checking in. It felt more home-like, with a plushier-than-normal bed and a bedside table that had a picture of a Pikachu on top. The room also had a standard TV on top of a dresser on the opposite end of the room, alongside a reclining chair and a Pokemon bed opposite it. The place was wrapped up nicely with a set of pictures hung on the wall next to a mirror and a window on the other side. It was the most intricate room they’d had by far.

“As usual, please let us know when you are ready to vacate the room. If you have any questions, please let me or any of the other Joys know. Bellus is a beautiful town and I’m sure you’ll find a lot to do here!”

Nico took off his gear and tossed them onto the bed.

“Actually Nurse Joy, I do have a question. Do you know where we can get food, restaurant or store wise?”

“Oh, of course! There’s a supermarket not far from here, and a little further down there’s a few restaurants and fast-food places. At least within walking distance of the East side of Bellus. There are many others in the Seaside and Northern sides, although they are a bit on the luxurious side. If you come with me, I can get you a digital map of Bellus onto your Battle Monitor for you.”

“That’d be great,” Nico said, offering a small nod. He figured today they would just grab something to eat first, and maybe tomorrow they could go restock on food.

Whatever they would decide on would have to wait just a bit longer. First Nico had to get that digital map.

 

* * *

 

  

The search for breakfast (or more appropriately, brunch) had been great. The choice had come down to a diner called “Diglett Diner” and another named “Char-broiled Burgers”. The second one won if only because Will thought the Charizard and grill aesthetic was cool and Nico was ravenous for food, especially burgers. After the disturbingly stale bread from last night, Will couldn’t pass up something as good as a burger, either.

After they arrived back to the Pokemon Center without the feeling the impending sense of death by hunger, Will decided to stay in their room for a little while. Excited as he was to explore Bellus, he also wanted to enjoy the feeling of being in a comfortable place to stay. Nico had left only a few minutes before, wanting to check out the rest of the East side. So that left Will to himself.

Before he did anything else, Will unhooked his belt and released his other two Pokemon. Hoppip bounced happily on the bed, stretching out and greeting Igglybuff, who jumped onto the bed and sat down. Psyduck appeared on the floor, blinking twice. That was the first time Will had ever seen the Pokemon wink, actually.

“Okay! Hoppip, this is Psyduck. Psyduck, Hoppip.”

Hoppip gave its usual whir of its leaf-propellers and a cheer, and to Will’s surprise, Psyduck responded with the usual “psyy”. Yes, progress.

Will pulled out his Breeder’s Monitor from his bag and turned it on, activating the camera and flipping it to the front side. This town was effectively the halfway point, and Will hadn’t done too well on keeping track of pictures and the like. Plus, it had been a month or so, and he really needed to update everyone back home on how he was doing.

“Okay, let’s get the angle just right and…” Will held the Monitor up and angled it to get Psyduck in the frame, too. A quick snap later, and there it was: a picture of himself and his current team. Psyduck was half-blinking, but that was fine.

Will sent the picture to Cecil first before he realized that the last conversation they had was a few weeks old. Oops. He barely had time to send the picture to his mom with the caption, “my two new pals! miss ya mom”, when his Monitor received a call from Cecil.

“Hello?”

“How _dare_ you send me a picture of all the fun you’re having!”

“Nice to hear from you too, Cecil. How are you?”

“Oh, you know. Dead inside. Could have warned me about the dangers of raising Pokemon.”

Will laughed, shaking his head. “You live with Pokemon, how could you _not_ know?”

“Okay, listen,” Cecil started with a deep breath, “the Pokemon that walk through those doors are actively trying to coordinate my death.”

Cecil went on to describe the various ways in which he’d flubbed with any of the Daycare’s charges. It ranged from getting lit on fire to getting shocked from brushing fur. Will offered different pieces of advice where he could (“don’t startle the Vulpix as it sleeps unless you want to get roasted”), but mainly he just listened. After a half hour of grievances, Cecil finally reached the end of his list.

“But all that aside, where are you, anyway?”

“Bellus.”

“Whoa, pretty far now! Oh hey, are going to go to the heart of Bellus? They’ve got all kinds of great things! Movie sets, theme parks, a great beach – you’ve gotta try and meet Aphrodite!”

“Who?”

“Oh right,” Cecil sighed, and Will could practically see him shaking his head. “I forgot you live under a rock. Aphrodite is the star of Olympia. You know, the lady in almost every movie and everything?”

Will was honestly blanking on it and the name didn’t sound familiar in the slightest. Though, Cecil was way more in tune with that kind of stuff than Will ever could be. “Still have no clue who you’re talking about.”

“… You’re hopeless. How you managed to get to Bellus in the first place is beyond me.”

Will took a seat on the floor, leaning against the bed. Igglybuff hopped down and sat comfortably on Will’s lap, looking at the screen while Hoppip looked over Will’s shoulder.

“Anyway,” Will said casually, “Any news? Besides getting blasted by Pokemon?”

“Uh, not really. I mean, everything’s the same as it’s always been.”

“Well, that’s good. No change is better than bad change I guess.”

“Although, last week another one of your dad’s assistants came by again. Now that I think about it, how are you going to make it through Bellus?”

Will raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Well, isn’t – hold on.” A shuffle of feet and faint talking was heard in the background, though Will couldn’t make it out. A minute passed before Cecil came back. “Listen, I gotta run. Don’t be a stranger. Bye!”

Cecil disconnected before Will could even say a word.

Whatever he was going to say, Will was sure it could wait until tomorrow. The day was getting late, and he really wanted to see more of Bellus.

Will tucked away his Monitor back into his bag after seeing that his mom still hadn’t replied. She was probably still busy at the Daycare to notice, anyway. Igglybuff hopped off Will’s lap and climbed the bed again, dancing around Hoppip. The other Pokemon hadn’t spent much time outside, and Will was positive he could manage keeping track of two Pokemon.

But Psyduck was a different story. Will couldn’t be sure that the Pokemon wouldn’t just magically pop out of existence (at this rate, anything was possible), so he made the decision to keep Psyduck in its Pokeball.

Soon Will was walking out the door, with Igglybuff on his shoulder and Hoppip flying next to him. It was nice. The sun was still shining down and a few clouds were idly floating by in an otherwise blue sky. Some Wingulls speckled the sky as they flew in a general direction. Probably the beach.

Will took to strolling through the streets, admiring how calm the neighborhood looked. There were fewer people outside than when they had arrived. It didn’t take long before a trainer approached Will.

“Hey, wanna have a battle? I’m pretty good.” A young-looking teenager said.

“Sure. I’m a bit rusty, though.”

 

~

 

Nico stumbled across the battle Will was having about halfway. Hoppip wasn’t particularly strong, but Will wasn’t new to the whole “weak” Pokemon thing (a concept he himself had no belief in). In the end, he made it work with a combination of Fairy Wind attacks and Encore, which wasn’t a move all Hoppips were born with. That made Will proud.

“What made you have a battle?” Nico asked, hands in his pockets as he walked.

Will simply shrugged, looking up at the sky. “I haven’t had a battle in a while if you don’t count the one with Psyduck. It can be fun. Hoppip grew a level and a half in that battle alone." Hoppip cheered happily in gratification as it flew alongside Will, but before Will could throw himself into a tangent about what he wanted Hoppip to work on, he realized something. "Where are we going, by the way?”

“Well, I thought we could go to the beach. I found out that there’s a transit thing that connects to the different parts of the city. You remember those roads on the map? Turns out they were actually railways.”

“Awesome! I’ve never been to the beach.”

Nico led them through a few more city streets and across an actual road with cars on them. It was awesome to see so much activity, but it was a little disorienting. Coming from a small town where everyone walked from point A to B in twenty minutes or less, Will felt like the city could have been a world of its own, all buzzing by him in a hurry. Across the street was the closest of the stations where the tram car passed by. The station was painted a cool dark green with benches lining the outside and a parking lot for cars to enter on the left. Just on the other side of the station, Will could see the tracks that they would be traveling along in. But to Will’s sinking hopes, it didn’t seem to be working at the moment. The entrance to the stop was blocked off by a sign labeled, “Down for maintenance”. There wasn't anybody there, either. Not a worker or person in sight.

“I was literally just here!” Nico said. "People were getting on and off like nobody's business."

Will tried to not let the disappointment take over too much of his tone. “Well, incidents can happen at any second… Let’s go check out that store Nurse Joy told us about. We can come back tomorrow.” Part of Will wasn't all that surprised that in a city where things zoomed by in a hurry, something like the transit system could change from lively to empty in the blink of an eye.

Nico hesitated before agreeing reluctantly, muttering something about how the next station was too far away.

As the group turned to leave, neither of them took notice of a small group of people beginning to gather. They were all wearing different types of clothing, but all of them had a brown and green color scheme on them, one way or another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to be more consistent/communicative about when I update, so heads up: no new chapter next week, but expect a long(er) one the following week!
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Cheers!


	4. Beach Day

“Are you sure we really need this? We’re gonna have to get rid of it when we leave, you know.”

“Unless we go later in the afternoon, yes. The sun’s too harsh.” Nico replied, snagging the beach umbrella from the display. “Don’t worry, I’ll pay for it.”

“Get a hat or something,” Will said, pulling a bright blue one off the rack. “This one’s nice.”

“Umbrella or nothing. I’m not wearing any of these cheesy tourist clothes.”

“They’re not that bad.”

“Will, you’re the most grossly oversaturated thing I’ve ever seen.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Will said, waggling his eyebrows.

Nico wasn’t totally off-base: Will had selected some clothes suited for the beach (a total cash-grab by the tourist trap industry, Nico was sure), which included an eye-burning yellow tank top tee that had a dash of orange around the collar and edges of the shirt, a pair of light blue swimming trunks that stuck out like a sore thumb, and a pastel green flip flops. A Smeargle may as well have dumped Will in three different buckets of neon paint. 

Nico rolled his eyes, tucking the umbrella under his arm. “I’m taking the umbrella. Unless you change your mind and want to go later instead.”

“Nope!” Will replied cheerily.

Earlier in the morning, Will had woken up early with the delusional idea that they should go to the beach all day. While Nico did want to go down there, he also wasn’t fond of going when it was baking hour in Bellus heat. The sun was ridiculously hot in this city, and going later in the day would mean going when the sun wasn’t beating them down.

Apart from being a terrible idea, Nico had every intention to sleep in late, but those plans were foiled after Will jumped him. For all of Nico’s shoving and grumbling, he found himself in the store an hour later. The problem wasn’t waking up early _per se_ , but having the promise of waking up late for once only to be awake early anyways was definitely on Nico’s list. Usually things like this killed him, but as Nico watched Will saunter back to Igglybuff further down the aisle, he strangely felt okay with it.

“Alright, Cubone, let’s go pay for this thing.”

 

~

 

The trams were working this time, thankfully. Everything seemed to be working without a hitch, so Nico had to assume breakdowns or maintenance or whatever happened yesterday weren’t that rare. Even better than a working tram, though, was a working tram that was also empty. Will, Nico, and their Pokémon were the only one on at the moment. The inside wasn’t very spacious, though, with only a small pathway between the rows of seats. The inside walls were covered in as many ads and infographics as could possibly fit in the spaces between the windows.

The ride was short, taking only twenty minutes to cross into the Seaside District. The boring homes and apartments were quickly switched out for stores and restaurants and a sea of people that flowed through the sidewalks like an ocean current. Nico was sure he’d never seen so many people in his life.

When the tram finally arrived at the stop, Nico grabbed his bag and beach umbrella (which was starting to feel like overkill, he had to admit) and trailed behind Will, who was looking around as he walked. The briny smell of the ocean filled Nico’s nose.

“Hey, Nico! Look!” Will called out as he pointed to Nico’s left, his voice hardly containing his excitement.

The road past the station winded down a hill with a few intersections in between. At the end, the road connected onto another sidewalk. Past that, sandy dunes extended all the way to the ocean, which extended across the horizon.

There was a simultaneous “Hoppip!” and “Igglybuff!” from Will’s Pokémon as the two started to rush towards the beach. They didn’t get far, though, as Will scooped up Igglybuff with one hand and tried to grab Hoppip with the other.

“Hang on, you two. We’ll get there soon enough.”

Of course, navigating through the swarms of people was a nightmare. Nico had to pick Cubone up and balance his backpack and umbrella as he constantly tried to shuffle past disinterested faces, all the while keeping a steady pace so he wouldn’t lose Will in the crowd. It almost came to pushes and shoves just to get through. Luckily, though, the sidewalk on the next road had less people walking along, making it easier to walk through. Past the second one, and Nico could finally move freely. Looking back at the streets behind him, he decided he wasn’t fond of the big city.

The last sidewalk lead directly down the beach, and Igglybuff practically flew out of Will’s hands when they reached the sand, kicking up sand and wriggling around. Will chased after Igglybuff, kicking off his sandals and slinging his bag over his shoulder properly.

The beach was alive with activity: Wingulls and the rare Pelipper flew in complete disorder, picking fights with the Krabby that were trying to bury themselves in the sand. People with beach towels and bags were already scattered around the beach. Further down, a group of people was playing volleyball with their Pokémon.

The sun wasn’t burning hot like Nico had thought, and the sand was actually cool under Nico’s feet. The day felt promising.

Nico took a step forward.

“Hey! Hey, mister!” A kid dressed in swimwear with an inflatable tube came running towards Nico, kicking up a trail of sand as they approached. The kid had was struggling to balance three PokéBalls in their hand. Oh, no. “You look like a trainer. Battle me!” the kid demanded.

Nico was convinced these kids were actually conniving brats bent on making him suffer for the rest of his life. He could only hope there wasn’t that many of them on this beach. Preferably, there wouldn’t be any more for the rest of this journey. But that was wishful thinking.

 

* * *

 

“You’re not seriously planning to be there all day.” Will said, pushing some more sand into a pile where Igglybuff and Hoppip were patting away.

Nico replied with a simple, “Yup.”

“Oh, come on. You can’t be here _all_ day.”

“I can and I will, Solace. The gremlins might come back if they see me.”

Will laughed, looking to his right. No small trainers in sight. Just people enjoying their day. Earlier, a group of young trainers, about seven or eight, had stopped Nico for twenty minutes after Will had chosen their spot. Will was certain that it was just a group of kids passing by looking for fun, but he could understand not wanting to have any battles today.

After a clean sweep of wins, Nico had dug out a ditch with the help of Cubone and had placed the umbrella against the ground next to it, making a shelter of sorts. Will thought it was overkill, considering no kids had passed since then, but what could he do? He couldn’t even see Nico because of the little sand dune Nico had made. Cubone had settled just over the dune to sleep, and Murkrow had perched on top of the umbrella to roost.

Even after Will had given him the all clear, Nico had still made the argument that it was too hot and that the sand was like burning coals. Will had to disagree there. The sun was mild at best, and even though the sand was hot, it wasn’t all that bad. At least, Will didn’t think so.

“You know, you’re really not helping your case.” Will chimed, pushing more sand on the growing pile.

“What case?”

“The whole moody ‘I’m too _dark_ for _fun_ ’ thing you’ve got going on.”

“Psh, I do _not._ ” Nico retorted.

“Sure thing, bad boy. Who wears black to the beach? And pants?” Will dodged a handful of sand that Nico half-heartedly threw, although some of it did land on his lap. “At least throw the sand here!” Will pointed at the now considerably large pile, which Igglybuff had topped off with a small flag made of a scrap of seaweed.

Nico was silent for a few seconds before he chucked another handful of sand in the direction of Igglybuff’s sand pile, making Will burst into laughter.

“Hey, thanks!”

Nico’s hand appeared from his fort, giving him a thumbs up before disappearing again.

Will continued helping Igglybuff and Hoppip with their sand pile, although he was sure the Pokémon’s intention was to make a sand castle. He didn’t want to ruin the Pokémon’s fun, though. So the sand pile got larger and larger until it was just an enormous mound. When Igglybuff started struggling to shape the sand but failing miserably, Will knew for certain what the Pokémon wanted.

“Uh, Iggs, you’re not going to make a sand castle with just sand. You need water, lots of it.”

“Igglybuff!” The Pokémon exclaimed, pointing at the ocean.

“How’re you going to carry it, though? You’re going to need a bucket or something, buddy.”

“Buff?” Igglybuff pointed at Psyduck, who was standing stoically next to Will.

 _‘Oh, right. I totally forgot we’ve got a Water-type, now.’_ But it really just came down to whether Psyduck was willing to cooperate, though. But he wouldn’t know until he tried. “Hey Psyduck, can you use any Water-type moves? Uh … you know Water Gun, right? Or Water Pulse.”

Blank stare.

 _‘Okay, well there goes that.’_ Will thought. But immediately after, Psyduck blinked and took a step forward. It began to make a low grumbling noise before shooting the tiniest squirt of water onto the sand pile. The water dribbled down the sand before it was absorbed entirely. Lackluster, at best.

“Oh, uh … a little bit more, Psyduck? Like, a lot more?” Will said.

“Psyyy,” the Pokémon cried before looking up and opening its bill. A ball of water formed at the front of its mouth, charging up until it shot straight into the air. Will watched it fly high into the sky before it burst into water. The water gleamed in the sunlight brilliantly, and it took a second for Will to register what it actually was. A large sheet of water that had started to fall down. Directly onto them.

Will sighed.

The water splashed down onto them, drenching everybody in cold water. Will’s senses froze over, taking him a few seconds to snap back to reality. Every part of him was wet, and his clothes stuck to his skin. Feeling very cold, Will couldn’t help but breathe quickly as he tried to recover.

 Igglybuff and Hoppip had been swept away, but otherwise didn’t seem to mind it. Psyduck definitely didn’t care. It hadn’t budged.

Will heard sputtering and thrashing until Nico’s head popped out from inside his fort, drenched from head to toe.

“Will. _Why._ ”

Will simply shrugged, wiping some strands of hair off of his forehead. At least the sun was warm.

 

~

 

Will finally felt dry. It had taken half an hour after the incident, but it had been relaxing. Igglybuff and Hoppip had gone to work on building an amorphous blob that vaguely resembled a rounded cube while Psyduck watched and shot squirts of water unnecessarily. Will, on the other hand, had moved out of the wet sand and laid out in the dry, warmer sand. He felt like a Sandile basking in the sun or a rag put out to dry.

The plus side was that Psyduck’s monsoon had driven Nico out of his cave and out into the open. After a short discussion about how the damaging properties of the sun (“There’s this magical thing called sunscreen, Nico!”), Nico had joined him begrudgingly. He muttered something about the sun again.

“Hey, Nico,” Will muttered, eyes closed. “We should probably go back under some shade.”

“Why?”

“The sun can still mess you up even with sunscreen. And the sun is kinda strong today.”

“I told you it was.”

“I said _kinda_! There’s a distinct different between ‘kinda’ and ‘definitely’.”

Nico was quick to his feet as he retreated back under his umbrella all too willingly. Will took his time to get up and stretched before following after Nico. The pit Nico had made wasn’t too damp, and the sand dune in front had been flattened out, but at least it had shade. Will slid in next to Nico, grinning and saying, “Hey.”

Nico shook his head, reclining back, looking toward the ocean. They sat comfortably and watched as Igglybuff and Hoppip finished their masterpiece. The Pokémon cheered as Cubone approached them, holding a pile of damp sand. Cubone looked tentative at first, but when Igglybuff guided Cubone towards the sand castle in an encouraging way, Cubone looked more comfortable. The Pokémon patted the sand onto one of the castle’s sides. Will couldn’t help but find it endearing.

Soon Cubone was helping Igglybuff and Hoppip build another sculpture using the damp sand that remained. They managed to build another one pretty quickly, except this one looked less abstract and more like a cube with a smaller cube on top. And while Cubone didn’t join Igglybuff and Hoppip in their cheer, the Pokémon looked happy.

Will glanced at Nico, who was looking at the scene fondly.

The day passed by slowly after that. Will had had the foresight to bring some food with them in his bag, although the bag had become damp from the flooding incident earlier. After a bit of investigation, Will had determined that Psyduck’s move had been heavy variation of Water Sport. Except a Water Sport attack involved a spray of water, not a thick sheet of water falling from the sky. Whatever the case, Will wasn’t all that concerned with searching for a food place when they got hungry.

People came and left, passing by with their Pokémon. At one point Will spotted a group of swimmers battling with their Pokémon out in the water, while others were riding their Pokémon and surfing. Schools of Remoraid leapt out of the water as they passed by, and at one point even an enormous Wailord surfaced for air. The beach was so full of activity, Will was content with watching it all happen.

When the time for food came, Will distributed what he had brought. The problem came when Wingulls kept swooping down in hopes of swiping some freebies. Just as Igglybuff would take a bite, the Wingulls would attempt to snatch it away.

Eventually, the wild Pokémon left them alone when Igglybuff landed a Pound attack squarely on one of the Wingull’s head. Will wasn’t surprised. He knew _all_ about Igglybuff’s relationship with food. The little puff was a deeply passionate food connoisseur.

When Murkrow had started challenging Wingulls to aerial fights, the wild bird Pokémon fled for good.

The day finally wound down in the late afternoon. Will was feeling worn out but found himself not wanting the day to end. As Igglybuff and Hoppip dug Psyduck into the sand, Will looked over at Nico.

He was staring down into the sand, but his look told Will that he was lost in thought.

“Hey,” Will said. “You okay?”

Nico glanced up. “Yeah. ‘M just thinking.”

“Thinking on a day of nothing but relaxation?”

“It’s just – don’t you think it’s a little strange? That cult or whatever the people that we keep running into are?”

Will frowned. It was weird, sure, and it was something Will wished wasn’t happening. Pokémon theft was serious business, and he felt angry that people would do it. But he hadn’t put much thought into it.

“Yeah,” Will said. “I guess they are.”

“I just can’t shake this feeling that there’s something more to them. It’s been bothering me.”

“Nico, they’re thieves. I don’t think there’s much more to it. People who’re looking to make money off of horrible acts.” Will said, looking at the sand.

“Why were they in the Lavarge Gym, then? There’s no Pokémon for them to steal there.”

Will didn’t have an answer for that. The pair of grunts Will had eavesdropped on weren’t actually looking for anything, based on what the way they were talking. If anything, it sounded like they were just checking on something. But Will couldn’t be sure, and so he chose not to say anything.

Nico took the silence as a sign to continue. “We know they’re stealing Pokémon. We know there’s some sort of leader. And they keep popping up more and more often. Every time we’ve encountered them head-on, their Pokémon are abnormally strong. I don’t think all of that equals common thugs.”

Nico was right. The Tangela in the caves had been shockingly powerful to create those vine walls, and the Gourgeist a few days ago stood up to a powered-up Flamethrower from a strong and healthy Houndoom. Something was off.

“Well, we can go find Percy tomorrow. He said he was at the Southside Pokémon Center, didn’t he? We can figure this out then.” Will nudged Nico on the shoulder. “C’mon, let’s end the day on a high note, right? Who knows when we’ll catch another break after this.”

After a second of hesitation, Nico nodded.

Igglybuff called out, wanting Will to see what they had done. The Pokémon had buried Psyduck, who had laid down, in a heap of sand, leaving only its head out in the open. Hoppip had formed the sand under Psyduck to look like a Seel’s body. The end result was a really weird looking, poker-faced Seel-Psyduck hybrid.

Will couldn’t help but burst into another fit of laughter. It had been a good day.

 

* * *

 

The sky had turned a soft red-orange as the sun sank lower into the ocean. The beach had long since thinned out, with only a few people here and there to enjoy the evening. Even the ocean looked tamer from their spot on the pier. After packing up and calling it a day, Will had insisted on staying longer. So, after ditching the umbrella with a lifeguard who was happy to take it off their hands, here they were.

Checking out the pier and walking around had been Nico’s original intent for visiting the beach in the first place, so Nico was glad to do so. It was more relaxing and less congested. After all, there was a significant lack of kids, and that alone was enough to celebrate. For now, it was just Will, Nico, Igglybuff, and Cubone.

Will’s whole attention was directed toward the sunset. He leaned onto the railing of the pier and watched with a mix of admiration and appreciation as Igglybuff sat on his head, humming a gentle tune.

As the last of the sun dipped under the horizon, Nico’s attention turned to the darkening beach. With the fading sunlight disappearing, all that was left was the artificial blue-white LED lights of the lampposts around the pier and the roads to light their surroundings. The last of the beach-goers quickly left, leaving Nico and Will alone, with only he slow rolling of the waves and the buzz of traffic back in town to keep the place from being totally silent.

“We should probably head back, huh?” Will said, his gaze still fixated on the ocean, now a black pool with the occasional reflection of street light. “It’s starting to get chilly.”

Nico nodded, stretching tiredly. The day had really worn him out, despite all the nothing he did.

As they walked slowly back off the pier, Nico couldn’t help but notice a flash of light coming from their right. At first, all Nico saw was darkness.

 _‘Must’ve been my imagination…’_ Nico thought.

But just as he turned his attention back to the street ahead, there it was again: a flash of light in the corner of his eyes. Nico stopped, turning to look into the darkness.

“What’s up?” Will asked. Nico didn’t answer, instead focusing on the direction of the flash. But nothing happened. Nico was ready to wave it off as his tired imagination, but then it happened again. A flashlight’s beam shown from inside a hole down on the beach, under a set of stairs. A person appeared, looking both ways before disappearing back into the pipe. Cubone growled, looking up at Nico.

“You saw that, right?”

“Yeah…” Will said.

It was probably nothing. Nico told himself that, but he couldn’t help but feel like it was something. Maybe it was the effect of being on edge and thinking too much about a couple days ago. But still…

Nico looked at Will before fast walking to the closest staircase from the pier to the beach. Will followed closely behind silently. The opening looked like a tunnel that was blocked off by a barred entryway, probably meant to be some sort of drainage for the rain. But the lock had been snapped cleanly in two, and the hatch was wide open. Not a good sign.

“Nico …” Will said slowly, his voice thick with worry.

Nico looked at Will, then at Cubone, then at the darkness that filled the pipe. He could hear the faintest echoes coming from within.

“We have to check,” Nico whispered.

“I don’t know,” Will whispered back. “It could be nothing.” He sounded unsure.

“Or it could be those thugs.”

Will sighed. “Yeah, I was afraid you’d say that.” Will took a deep breath before his he spoke with more resolve. “Okay, let’s take a look. I’ve got your back.”

Nico nodded before lifting Cubone into the pipe and hoisting himself up. He offered a hand out to Will as Will climbed onto the pipe as well. The inside of the tunnel was wet, creating splashing sounds whenever they walked. They would need to move slowly.

Will reached on top of his head and tapped Igglybuff on its puff, making the Pokémon glow with a soft “buff”. The dim pink light let Nico see a couple feet ahead of him before it turned back to pitch black.

He took the lead and walked slowly, careful not to create too much noise. A sinking feeling started to form in his gut, washing away any of the light feelings he had during the day. What could he possibly hope to achieve?

They walked further down the tunnel for a few more minutes before they finally saw flashlights and heard muttering. Igglybuff’s light went out, and Nico inched forward until he came into hearing distance.

It sounded like there were only two of them, babbling back and forth. Nico strained his hearing to listen, all the while getting closer to get a better look.

“Alright, now what?” The first one said.

“Slap the thing onto the Poké Ball. Come on, hurry up! Don’t want to be here when the thing gets free.”

Nico assumed that the first grunt was having trouble with something. Maybe.

“There. What’s next?”

“That’s it. Make sure the device is attached to the PokéBall’s button.”

Another pause.

“Okay. Let’s get out of here.”

Nico’s heart raced. They couldn’t suddenly turn back without being heard or being seen when the flashlights turned in their direction. They were only a dozen feet away. Only one thing they could do.

“Cubone,” Nico whispered. “Bonemerang.”

Cubone’s attack lit the tunnel up in light blue light before the Pokémon launched its bone at the grunts.

“Hey, look out!” A grunt yelled, and they dodged out of the way.

Igglybuff used Flash again, lighting up the tunnel.

The two grunts were stood over a Poké Ball, a Weepinbell and an Oddish at their side. Both grunts were wearing the same jacket. They _were_ part of those thieves.

“What are you doing?” Nico demanded.

“None of your business, brat!” The grunt on the left spat. “You better leave if you know what’s good for you!”

 _‘Where have I heard that before,_ ’ Nico thought. It was becoming routine with these guys. Although he was sure they wouldn’t budge on any details, he decided to give it a shot. “Who are you guys, anyway?”

“We’re part of Team Terras, and we’re going to flatten you two.” The other grunt responded.

Finally, someone not careful enough to call out their name. Something to associate these guys with. But Nico couldn’t let his guard down. Not yet.

“Weepinbell use Wrap!”

Cubone rushed forward, awaiting a command.

“Cubone, Bone Club!”

Behind him, Igglybuff jumped off Will’s head, and Will said “Copycat, Iggs!”

Weepinbell’s tendrils extended outward, but not before Cubone leapt into the air and scored a hit. Igglybuff quickly followed, imitating Cubone’s movements. As the Pokémon leapt into the air, a bone made of green light formed in Igglybuff’s stubs. Igglybuff attacked in a near perfect copy of Cubone’s attack, landing another hit on Weepinbell.

Weepinbell staggered backward, but Nico had no way of knowing how much damage it had taken. The grunts grimaced.

“You weak Pokémon can’t be trusted,” one of them said. “Acid, both of you!”

“Iggs, Charm on the Weepinbell,” Will said.

Igglybuff bounded forward with surprising speed before standing still, making a weird gesture and making its eyes go wide. Apparently trying to look cute worked, because both opposing Pokémon stopped charging their attacks, charmed.

Cubone bolted towards the Weepinbell and used a Headbutt attack, sending the Pokémon flying into one of the grunts. The Oddish snapped out of it, looked at the grunts, and bolted further into the tunnel. The grunts struggled to get up, but followed the Oddish and running away, with Weepinbell in tow.

“You’ve made a big mistake,” the grunt yelled.

Nico almost chased after them, but Will held him back.

“Nico, look.” Will pointed at a shoddy-looking Poké Ball. It was the one the grunts had been working on.

The casing was a putrid green color, with a rusty looking paint job on it. Nico picked it up. Where the button normally went, a small device the size of a large coin was placed. Nico pulled on the thing, but it wouldn’t budge.

“… What do you think this does?” Nico asked.

“I’m … I’m not sure. They said something about something being freed.”

Then there was a Pokémon inside. Which meant that he had to find a way to get it out. Nico pulled and scraped at the device over the button, but it still wouldn’t budge. It felt like it was permanently there.

“Cubone, try and hit this thing. But just this bit over here, not the ball itself.”

Cubone nodded as Nico set the Poké Ball down. The Pokémon steadied its aim before hitting the ball with a sharp thwack. Immediately the device on the ball began circuiting, releasing a spark. The Poké Ball began to stutter and shake, as if the Pokémon inside was trying to escape.

In a burst of light, the Poké Ball shattered into pieces as a Rattata appeared out of it. But something wasn’t right.

The Pokémon shuddered and flinched, scratching behind its ears in a crazed panic. It thrashed around before realizing that it wasn’t alone, and barred its fangs at them, causing Cubone to take a defensive stance.

One thing immediately stood out to Nico: the Pokémon’s eyes were dilated and moving sporadically in rage. Something that felt familiar to Nico. But whatever it was, the effect wasn’t entirely there. Within seconds the Pokémon shook its head, and its itchy movement waned away.

The Rattata looked up at Nico confused, its eyes back to normal and its body movement steady.

“Rat?” The Pokémon said, turning its head in interest before turning and sprinting away and into a hole in the side of the tunnel.

Nico stood there, thinking. He snapped out of it when Will shook his shoulder.

“You okay?”

“What was that?”

“I don’t know,” Will admitted. “… But at least we learned a few things about them?” Will tried to be hopeful, but the phrase sounded more like a question.

Nico looked down at his feet, where the PokéBall had shattered. The pieces were too small and scattered to recover anything salvageable to take back with him.

Team Terras. Nico could now say definitively say that his suspicions were right. But what that meant, he had no clue.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really have much to say this time, so thanks for reading!
> 
> Cheers!
> 
> \---  
>  **3/24 - Finals are fast approaching, and I don't have a lot of time to write. We'll be back on April 2nd! Thanks for your patience :)**


	5. A Few Days Later

All Will could see was darkness. He couldn’t even see himself, and he heard nothing but an ominous echo. He wasn’t even sure he physically existed, if that made any sense. He was just _there_ , in nothing.

“Report on your assignment,” a woman’s voice echoed. Her voice was soft yet resonated with power, one that boomed but spoke calmly, in a weird way.

“W-well,” another voice spoke up. This one felt exposed and frightful. And familiar. “We were successful. But, there was a problem …”

“Oh? Do tell. We don’t have a moment to waste.”

“We can’t be sure the test went through. There were people …” The voice trailed off, seemingly losing its power to speak.

“Is it still there?”

“I don’t … I don’t know.”

“Hm,” the woman said, simply. Through her calm tone, it felt like anger was brewing. “We have many things to do before we move on. Testing the effects in a dense population is one of them. And what, may I ask, do you think you could do if you were unsure if you weren’t ‘sure the test went through’?”

“Do it again?”

“ _What are you waiting for, then?”_ the woman hissed, her voice suddenly contorting into sheer anger.

“Y-yes, ma’am!” the other voice squeaked. A rush of footsteps, and then a pause. “What about the people?”

“Irrelevant,” the woman said. She had regained her calm demeanor.

And then, nothing.

 

~

 

Will opened his eyes to find a pair of bug-eyed, glowing blue eyes staring back at him. His heart was racing and his head was pounding with a dull pain. His eyes focused on the thing in front of him, which he quickly identified as Psyduck.

The Pokémon was leaning forward, forehead pressed against Will’s. Will must have imagined the glowing bit. Will sat up from his position on the reclined seat, pushing covers off himself and laying Psyduck on the floor, causing the Pokémon to huff a gentle “Psy”.

Will rubbed the crook of his neck, wishing the pounding to go away. He was too sleep-ridden to form any useful thoughts, except wondering why he felt like he’d just run a mile. Weird.

As the pulsing wore out and his heart took a breather, Will looked down at Psyduck. This couldn’t keep happening for the rest of Will’s life. He could only imagine himself twenty years from now, with every morning being greeted by the sight of bulging-eyed Psyduck staring into his soul. The thought of it gave him shivers.

Will made a last half-hearted effort to recall his dream. It couldn’t have been a good one, that was for sure.

After rummaging through his things and finding Psyduck’s PokéBall, Will recalled the Pokémon before passing out in the chair again.

 

* * *

 

 

Nico spotted Will through the sea of heads, which wasn’t too hard. His golden long hair, tall frame, and colorful clothes were impossible to miss among all the other people, who were dressed in identical suits, for the most part. That and Will was waving like a madman through the crowd.

“Hey! How’d it go?” Will asked.

“Cheery. Over the top. I hated it.” Nico frowned, his eyebrows scrunching up. He had just come back from the Pokémon Gym. It was impressive at first since it doubled as a film studio on the side. But the Gym itself had less to do with the actual “film” part and more to do with frivolous people only concerned with beauty and image. Nico was lucky to get out of there alive with only a snarky comment on his jacket and an offer for a haircut.

“So pretty well then,” Will mused.

“No, it was bad. I’ve never seen so many globs of make-up in my life,” Nico said, patting Cubone on the head as the Pokémon joined his side again. “The worst part was that the Gym Leader wasn’t even there. They said she was busy doing something out of town.”

“Huh. Everyone’s busy in this city. Percy’s a no-show again, by the way. He must have left already if I had to guess.”

That was annoying. Nico and Will had been looking for Percy since the incident at the beach, but each time they came to the Pokémon Center where he said he would be, the Nurse Joy couldn’t tell them if he was there or not. All the rooms were booked, and she didn’t know someone had replaced his spot during another Joy’s shift.

“We should move on then,” Nico said. “I’m going to challenge the Gym as soon as I can, then we should leave. No sense staying here if we’re not getting anything done.”

Will nodded, taking Igglybuff off his shoulder and held the Pokémon on his arm. “Yeah, I guess. I’m starting to like it here, actually.

Nico found that hard to believe, considering he could hardly breathe without a stranger rushing by.

They started to head to the outskirts of town up north, where Nico had heard was a great place for battling and training. As they walked and made their way across the business district of Bellus, Nico found himself constantly looking up. Despite having walked down here every day for the last two days, he couldn’t help but look at the dizzying view of the enormous skyscrapers towering over everybody.

That’s all this part of Bellus was, anyway. Towering skyscrapers and businessman.

“Hey Nico, when are you going to drop the jacket? It’s been hot every day and you still lug that thing around,” Will said, a spring in his step. Or more spring than usual, at least.

“It’s not that hot.”

“But it was magically super hot at the beach? I call foul, Di Angelo.”

“It _was_ hot at the beach and you know it. Just because your internal thermometer is off – “

“You’re right, I’m smokin’.”

“Shove off, Solace!” Nico said behind a smile. “You can’t just set up your own jokes.”

They turned into a new street on their way to a different station, but it was all the same. But one building, in particular, caught Nico’s eye. It was tall like the rest, but it had a red-painted roof with a PokéBall sign designed on the side, like a PokéCenter. But they had just come from one, so it couldn’t be one.

Nico entertained the idea that it could be a PokéCenter HQ of some kind. It made sense. They were in the business central of Bellus, after all. Nico looked to the doors of the building, trying to spot a Nurse Joy or somebody that looked like they were associated with the Pokémon Center.

All he could spot was men and women in suits, all with the same deadpanned expression on their face, though. But a sudden burst of laughter caught his attention, and his gaze landed on a man with blonde, curly hair, a shirt that someone Nico’s age would wear, and a pair of torn jeans. Nico couldn’t clearly make out the man’s face, but his overall appearance was strikingly similar to an older Will –

Nico’s thought was interrupted by a shove on his back as he was veered into an alleyway.

Nico stumbled forward before pivoting around, seeing Will rushing in behind him, a panicked look on his face.

“What the hell, Solace?”

“I, uh,” Will said awkwardly. “This ally cuts through to the station faster?”

Will really was a terrible liar. He couldn’t look at Nico in the face longer than a couple of seconds and he was fumbling with the hem of his shirt before he stuffed his hands into his pockets. Even then, he was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. But Nico decided to play along.

“Uh huh. Well, you could have just said so.”

“Right. Uh. Let’s keep going?”

Nico eyed Will, then looked over his shoulder to the street behind him. “Sure.”

Will visibly relaxed, his shoulders slouching and his nervous smile disappearing, being replaced by a more naturally Will-like one. Nico wanted to casually drop, “ _You’re a terrible liar, Solace_ ”, but he kept quiet as he watched Will take the lead, a little faster than before.

Nico took a last look back towards the street they had just been on before following Will to the other end of the ally. As much as he tried, he couldn’t grasp what could have caused Will to do that. Will was full of … interesting charisma, though. It was part of his charm.

_‘Charm? Since when did Solace have_ charm?’ Nico thought, sidestepping past a pair of Rattatas by a gutter. He quickly shoved the thought out of his mind.

 

~

 

 

“Alright Murkrow, one more Wing Attack should do it,” Nico said, checking his Monitor on his wrist. Murkrow did a quick shuttle loop before attacking the wild Grimer. A second later and the Grimer was knocked out before regaining its senses and retreating back into the wilderness.

“Looks like Murkrow’s almost leveled up again,” Will said, peering over Nico’s shoulder. “Nice. It should learn a new move soon.” He sighed, scrolling through his own Monitor. “It’s a shame Murkrows don’t learn any critical hit moves. What with its ability being ‘Super Luck’ and all.”

“I have no idea what you mean, Solace.”

“Oh, come on. It’s been long enough, you should know about move sets to expect from your Pokémon by now,” Will held up a finger, saying, “A great trainer plans the general basics of their Pokémon’s toolkit.”

Nico snorted. “You sound so old.”

“You’d be lost without me,” Will replied.

“Probably.”

Nico moved through the high grass, keeping an eye out for another wild Pokémon that wanted to challenge him. He was having a good time. Will had decided to tag along this time rather than wait by the Route like he normally did.

He figured this is what his journey should be like. Enjoying the battles and training, passing the time, and challenging himself with someone else. It had been dull work before this when he was so focused on just reaching his Pokémon’s best. But now, it felt different. It was nice.

Just as Will pointed out a patch of grass that was rustling, he heard the pat of footsteps behind him. He turned around to see a pair of trainers. Thankfully they weren’t younger trainers, which were the bane of his existence.

“Hey, let’s have a battle,” the first one said confidently. The other one unhooked a PokéBall from their belt and pointed it at them, saying, “Yeah! We were just walking down the route looking for other trainers. We spotted you guys, and we want to battle you! Couple versus couple!”

“Whoa, uh, we’re not – we’re not a couple,” Will immediately butted in.

“Really? Well, you kind of were doing what we do when we go out, but … let’s battle anyway!”

Nico was glad Will was facing the other way, because his face had started to burn from the implications. Thankfully Will didn’t turn back around when he accepted the challenge hesitantly.

Will and Nico wiped the floor with them. The battle wasn’t short, but anyone could have easily predicted the outcome of the match within the first thirty seconds of the match. Cubone and Igglybuff cooperated as easily as Nico and Will adjusted to each other’s own attacks without so much as a second of thought.

As Cubone landed the final hit against the enemy Pokémon, Nico found himself full of energy and excitement. Not the kind he felt in all the other Pokémon battles. Those were tense and adrenaline inducing, the ones he craved for before starting this journey. The excitement from this battle was just plain enjoyment. And he loved it.

The opposing trainers recalled their Pokémon after their defeat. As one of them handed Nico the battle earnings, the trainer mentioned to Nico, “You know, between you and me, you two have a good chemistry. It takes years to battle in sync like that, and you say you two aren’t a thing? That’s crazy.”

Nico simply took the money with a hum, the tip of his ears turning red. It wasn’t the comment that did it. Nico was sure of that. It had to be the high of the battle. Yeah, that had to be it.

As the couple walked away further down the route, no doubt looking for more people to misidentify as a couple and to battle them, Will stepped forward next to Nico.

“That was fun,” he said simply.

“I’d say,” a voice said from behind them.

Nico turned once again to see an older girl with choppy, braided brown hair and simple, if not ragged, clothing. The most striking part of her appearance was her eyes, which sharply looked between Will and Nico.

“Hi,” Nico said awkwardly.

The girl replied with a grin and a nod before she took a couple steps closer. “You two wouldn’t happen to be Nico and Will, would you?”

“Yeah, we are. Who’re you?”

“I had a feeling you were. I’m Piper McLean. Percy told me about you.”

“Percy?” Nico said. “Is he here? We need to talk to him –“

“You just missed him. He left yesterday. A League Champion has a _lot_ of responsibilities.” Piper rolled her eyes, laughing. “As if he actually did them all.”

That was news. Nico really had no idea Percy was _Champion_.

“Anyway, I was just passing by. And then I saw your battle, and it was really impressive. You should come down and challenge the Gym when you can.”

More news. She was the Gym Leader.

“We will. Or, I will,” Nico corrected himself.

Piper looked between Will and Nico then back again. “Well, see you two around. I’ll let you get back to doing what you were doing. I’ll be in the Gym all week. See ya!”

And with that, she walked off casually back into town. Nico felt unsure on the way she said the last part. A little too knowing in tone.

“Well, should we get back to it?” Will suddenly said, clapping his hands together. Igglybuff cheered from on his shoulder.

Nico nodded before turning his attention back to the grass. Maybe there would be a Pokémon that caught his attention, and then he would catch it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks, sorry about the two weeks without an update. Finals are here, so it's been hard to find time. And when I do find time, I get mixed up with academic voice and the chapter feels terrible. This is the third revision. Luckily, I'll be scottfree in a few weeks, and then we'll have a summer full of updates, which I'm excited for. I hope you are, too!
> 
> Thanks for reading, I'm enjoying writing this!
> 
> Cheers!


	6. Gym Battle: Piper

Will had been good his whole life, so there was no reason for the fates to be so cruel to him. There was one time he had snuck out in the middle of the night, but that had been for good intentions – he had needed to stop Cecil from doing something stupid – and that had to count for something. Considering all the positives he had done throughout his life, there was no reason why he should be in this situation.

The situation being him on the floor, back pressed up against some stage equipment, doing his best to disappear from his father’s view as the man chatted idly, unaware of the situation. The circumstances were ridiculous. Will had just been strolling through the building when he spotted his dad, and he only just managed to duck before Apollo turned around.

As Will held his breath, ears straining to hear any indication that Apollo would walk away or come towards him, he did his best not to pay attention to all the weird looks he was getting from everyone else passing by.

Finally, Apollo’s chatter faded away. Will took the chance and peeked around the equipment, and to his relief, his dad was well on his way to who knows where. Talking the ear off of whoever had fallen victim to his rants. Will sighed and slouched his shoulders, taking a chance and looking around the corner of the lighting equipment. He had walked off, alright.

The Bellus Gym apparently made grand events of any challenge that came. The city hosted a special day in a stadium, where the challenger’s test was five battles back-to-back. Will thought it was cool and left it at that, but he hadn’t thought that literally every important person in the city would come to said cool thing. Which included Apollo, founder of the unified Pokemon Center System and self-centered father-of-the-year. And today was the event day. Great.

Thankfully, Nico had been whisked away by the Gym assistants, so Will didn’t need to explain this whole thing yet. Truthfully, though, Will felt awful. Ever since that close call in the Downtown district, a near direct run-in had caused a lot of guilt to build up inside him. It was from the secrecy, Will thought. They were too far down for Will to bring it up. _‘By the way, I know I said I wanted to go with you just for kicks, but it was really just to get away from my dad with good intentions but bad habits._ ’ Eugh. Will felt sick just thinking about it.

Will just wanted to get through the day and move on.

“Floor can’t be that comfortable, can it?”

Will snapped out of his thoughts and looked in front of him. A woman with flowing brown hair and donning a simple yet elegant white dress stood looking down at him. A Delcatty stood at her side. The woman’s appearance was modest yet stunning, and she radiated serenity and sovereignty. She looked familiar, as if Will had seen her a lot lately. But he couldn’t remember from where. Realizing he was staring blankly, Will cleared his throat.

“Ahem, it's uh, it’s okay,” Will blurted out. He realized he had pointlessly answered a rhetorical question only after the words had escaped his mouth. “Who are you?”

The woman hummed. “I’m Aphrodite. And who are you, sitting on my ‘okay’ floor?”

So that’s what it was. Of course, Will had seen her – her face was plastered in practically every ad in town. Movie posters, sunscreen, expensive chocolate, banners promoting the benefits of recycling – literally everything. The icon of Bellus.

“Oh, uh, it’s a pleasure, I think,” Will said. He wasn’t sure if he should be excited. By Cecil’s constant questions about if he had gotten to see her at a distance yet, Will felt like he should. “I’m Will.”

“Oh, I know. You’re Apollo’s son, aren’t you?” Aphrodite said with a knowing tone.

“How did you…?”

Aphrodite waved her hand dismissively. “Apollo’s a co-worker. Like family, if you will. He talks about you all the time. Fondly, I might add.”

Will’s cheeks went pink, along with a fresh ton of guilt stacking on top of the existing one in the pit of his stomach. Now he was a terrible travel partner _and_ a terrible son.

“I must get going. But before that, some advice. Your father talks very openly about your situation. He might be too oblivious to notice, but I am not. You can’t avoid him forever, you know.”

Another truck-full of guilt. Will took a second before nodding.

Aphrodite’s tone softened as she looked at Will. “Consider talking to him sometime soon. The situation isn’t as bad as you might think. Sit on it after the event today. But please, keep traveling with your special friend. Things tend to fall in place one way or another.”

Aphrodite looked up quickly before looking back at Will and giving him a wink. She walked past him and towards someone out of sight.

“Ah, Aphrodite! Long time no see!” Apollo’s voice said. Apparently, he had come back.

“It’s been a week, yes.”

“Well, let me tell you all about this deal...”

Will heard Apollo’s voice fade away a second time.

Maybe he was overreacting. As the echoes of Apollo’s enthusiastic tone resonated in Will’s mind, the idea that he had blown it way out of proportion started to settle in. But he knew his father and how he could be. But then again, that was his side of the story…

He sat there quietly, ignoring the looks of confusion as people and Pokemon continued to go about their business.

Finally pulling himself together, Will hoisted himself to his feet and smoothed out his shirt before briskly walking into the building. Maybe he could go so Nico or something.

 

~

 

Will furrowed his eyebrows, confused. “You have to do what, now?”

“Be fancy. That’s what they said. The challenge is based on ‘grace under pressure’ and ‘a visually appealing performance’,” Nico said, making air quotes. They were in the challenger’s room, which looked like the backstage area for a film set.

Nico pointed at a chart on the wall. “Every move has a potential rating and a type. But separate from normal typing. It’s weird to explain.”

The chart explained that moves had five different types: Beauty, Cool, Cute, Clever, and Tough. Each move had a type, and a possible rating based on execution. From what Will gathered, this was a spectacle show mixed with battling. Like a beauty contest, but more violent. Cool? Yes. Do-able on a short notice? Maybe.

It all felt really complicated. And Will wasn’t in the mood to think about it too hard. That brain power was being used elsewhere right now.

“Well, whatever happens, I know you’re going to do great. It’s not going to be that hard. If you could keep up with fast Ghost-types, you’re definitely going to do great here,” Will said.

Igglybuff echoed Will’s sentiment, patting Cubone on the arm as the two sat on a fold-up chair by Nico’s side.

Nico nodded slowly, looking down at the ground. “Yeah. Let’s hope,” Nico said, fidgeting with some trinket he must have found.  “I think I prefer regular battles though.”

The door behind them opened, and to Will’s surprise, Piper’s head popped through.

“Hey,” Piper said. “Ready?”

“I guess?” Nico said. “I’m still not sure on the rules.”

Piper sighed and stepped into the room. Her hair was tied back today, Will noted.

“I’m not sold on the whole performance act either, you know. When Aphrodite ran this place, it was really all about the fancy moves and the glamor of battling. I’ve been trying to tone all that stuff down because it’s all pointless!” Piper exclaimed, plopping down onto a chair. “I get that things can look ‘cool’ and ‘pretty’, but that’s not what battles are about.”

She sighed, closing her eyes. “Anyway, listen. All that stuff on the wall is all old. They sort of still apply, but your main challenge is the prompts. There’s a mini-challenge for each battle. Fulfill each one and you can move on to the next battle. Then when you get to me, it’s just good old-fashioned battling. You’re good at that, aren’t you?”

Piper jumped off her chair and headed for the door. “Just trust in the moment and don’t focus so hard on the task at hand. See you in the challenger’s field. Oh, and sorry for all the commotion and event stuff. I’m trying to get rid of it all.”

And with that, she closed the door, leaving them alone again.

 

* * *

 

The light that rushed through the door disoriented Nico and his eyes took a second to adjust before he could clearly see the Gym battle room. It was actually an open-air field, with concrete floors and dirt challenger fields sectioned off. Glass-protected stands bordered the whole field, and in those stands, dozens upon dozens of spectators were abuzz.

As Nico stepped out onto the field, his confidence shrunk. It felt like the Gym had crammed every person in Bellus and he hated it. He didn’t even know what he was doing for this stupid thing, and now everyone (or at least a lot of people) was going to watch him fail.

Cubone pulled on his pants leg and hit its bone against the ground. “Cubone.”

The Pokemon was right, of course. Focus.

The two set out to wait on the sidelines, not really sure what to do. He searched for Will in the stands, but he was nowhere to be seen. He’d been acting weird earlier, but Nico was sure he was _somewhere_ in that crowd.

“Good morning ladies and gentlemen!” A voice boomed through the speakers. “Welcome to another Bellus Pokemon Gym Challenge! Without further ado, let’s begin!”

A group of people about Nico’s age stepped out of the room he was just in. Three guys and two girls, all dressed in … interesting, flashy clothing all made their way to their respective spots on each playing field. _‘So those are the opponents,’_ Nico thought.

Nico watched idly, waiting for the announcer to say something else. He quickly realized that they were waiting for him, and he jolted forward and stood on the outside of the challenger’s side of the first field.

“Oookay! Let’s see what the first battle’s challenge is!”

The monitor set up to Nico’s right turned on showing the text, ‘Move Combination’. The audience cheered.

“And we have the Move Combination challenge! Our challenger must combine two or more moves into a stunning new attack! Begin!”

‘ _I guess I’ll start off with Cubone,’_ Nico thought. At least the Pokemon had a more diverse moveset than Murkrow at the moment. Cubone could throw his bone, for example. ‘ _Really need to catch a new Pokemon_.’

Cubone stepped into the battlefield and held its bone up in a defensive stance.

The guy on the other side of the field struck an awful pose (in Nico’s modest opinion) and tossed out his Pokemon. Except when the PokeBall released the Pokemon, instead of a red flash, the PokeBall let out a burst of sparkles and twinkling dust, revealing a Lickitung. A part of Nico wondered how they got PokeBalls to do that.

“Battle, begin!”

“Lickitung, Shadow Ball!”

The Pokemon formed a Shadow Ball with a swipe of its tongue and launched its attack. Cubone dodged it and retaliated with a Bonemerang. The bone hit Lickitung and knocked the Pokemon backward – Nico’s Monitor made a tune, and Lickitung’s health dropped a bit.

_‘Move combination…’_ Nico thought. _‘We’ve never worked out a combo for Cubone’s moves.’_

“Surf!”

Lickitung leapt into the air and summoned a wave of water beneath it before speeding towards Cubone.

“Cubone, leap onto Lickitung!”

The Pokemon caught its bone as it ran forward, leaping at the Lickitung head-on. Cubone latched onto the other Pokémon’s back and readied an energy-powered bone. Winding up, Cubone smacked Lickitung with a Bone Club attack, knocking Lickitung down again.

“Oh! Fascinating strategy, folks! But we have yet to see the challenger use a special combined move!” The announcer’s voice boomed over the cheering from the crowd.

_‘Right. But there’s nothing to combine with yet. Maybe we can try combining a Shadow Ball with something … but what?”_

Lickitung got up again, but with a little more trouble. Its health was starting to wear down after two heavy attacks.

“Ice Beam, Lickitung!”

Credit given where credit was due, Nico had to admit that this Pokemon had some untraditional moves on it.

Lickitung began firing a laser of ice from its mouth, chasing Cubone as the Pokemon attempted to avoid it. In a dash to close the gap between itself and Lickitung, Cubone tripped over and fell. Lickitung’s beam flew dangerously close to Cubone, barely missing. Cubone got up and readied itself again, but looked at its bone in confusion.

Nico saw that the Pokémon’s bone had iced over on one end, where the Ice Beam had hit. His heart skipped a beat as an idea came to him.

“Ice Beam, again!” the opposing trainer yelled.

“Cubone, use Bonemerang on the Ice Beam!”

The Pokemon nodded and waited for Lickitung to attack. When the Ice Beam came, Cubone threw its bone. As the bone spun rapidly towards Lickitung, it started to freeze and overtook the Ice Beam. The frozen bone became encased in solid ice before hitting Lickitung hard. The ice shattered into a pretty display of sparkling ice-dust and the bone fell to the ground.

Lickitung stumbled backward and fell on its back, fainting.

The crowd broke into cheers and applause.

“Well met, challenger! An astonishing display of tactic! The Ice-Bonemerang was the finishing move to an already beautiful display of strength and wit!”

Nico heaved a sigh before looking to his right, where four more battles awaited him.

He was at a great pace, and his confidence was growing.

Nico looked at the sea of faceless people. Now if only he could find Will in the crowd. His face must have lit up at that battle, and part of Nico felt disappointed that he couldn’t find him.

  

* * *

 

 

The battle sounded like it was going well. The cheering and the yelling sounded like it was, anyway. Will wasn’t actually watching, which he felt horrible about.

After Piper had left, Will had left the building because he wanted some fresh air. He had reasoned with himself for a few minutes to get a grip and to put things into perspective. What Aphrodite had said was right. He was probably overthinking everything. His dad wasn’t a monster. Unreasonable? Yes, but that was beside the point.

In the end, Will settled on one thing: he would let things happen. If he met his dad, great; despite Apollo’s lack of attentiveness, Will was confident that everything would turn out fine, to some degree. If he didn’t stumble across him, that was also fine (better, even).

But when Will had finally collected himself and tried to go back inside, the glass doors were locked. A sign that read, ‘Gym Battle in Progress. Maximum Number of Attendees Reached. Have a Nice Day.’ hung from the doors. So now he was locked out, missing an important event.

Will sighed, patting Igglybuff’s head as the Pokemon settled on his lap to sleep.

The crowd cheered loudly again for the fifth time, and a voice on a speaker said something, though Will couldn’t make out what it was saying. He could only assume Nico had finished another battle.

_‘This sucks,’_ Will thought.

 

* * *

 

 

“This is it, folks! The final match we have all been waiting for!”

Nico had finally made it. He was pretty tired now, after all that shouting and whatnot, but he was pumped up to finally battle the Gym Leader. He looked to his right, looking for another battlefield, but there was none, so Nico stood still.

All the challenges were interesting in some way, though Nico would have been happier with just a simple Pokemon Battle. But he had to give props to the diversity of the challenges: The second one was “Epicness”, where the finishing move had to look “visually stunning”. Another had been “Tasteful Movement”, where every move had to have a “refined flourish” (Murkrow won the battle against a Kirlia by using fancy aerial movement). The fourth was “Display of Power”, which was the one Nico liked the best since it was just a battle. The final one was his least favorite, though. It involved some weird music tempo and keeping a beat and Nico never wanted to talk or think about it again.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our Gym Leader, and tonight’s final challenge, Piper McLean!”

A fresh round of cheers erupted as Piper seemingly appeared out of nowhere and walked to her end of the field, not paying any mind to the crowd.

“Good luck, Nico. Remember, nothing but a fair and square battle here.” Piper called out.

Nico nodded, sending out Murkrow first.

Piper threw out a PokeBall, which released her Pokemon in a flash of red light, and an Eevee landed on its feet. Nico was surprised, given that everyone else here had some sort of fancy effect for theirs. One girl’s had released confetti. _Confetti._

“Battle, begin!”

“Cubone, start off with a Bonemerang!” Nico called out.

“Eevee, Quick Attack!”

Cubone wound up its attack, but Eevee pounced forward at lightning speed, knocking into Cubone before the Pokemon could react. Cubone flinched and rubbed its snout, looking annoyed.

_‘Okay, here we go,’_ Nico thought. His mind shifted into high gear, immersing himself in the battle.

Eevee went for another Quick Attack, but Cubone anticipated the attack and shoved the Pokemon away with its bone. Eevee used the momentum of the push to jump into the air, whipping its tail with a flourish and releasing the Swift attack Piper called out. A flurry of stars homed in on Cubone, but the Pokemon escaped the attack by destroying each star with astounding speed. Cubone had gotten really good, and Nico felt pride as the crowd gasped in awe.

“Huh,” Piper said, nodding in approval. “Okay, new strategy. Charm!”

“Cubone, Bone Club!”

Cubone charged at Eevee poised to attack, its bone glowing green. Eevee simply sat down, wagging its tail.

_‘It’s a trick,_ ’ Nico thought immediately.

Just as Cubone was about to close the gap, Piper’s Pokemon turned its head, crying, “Eevee?”

Cubone stopped in its tracks, lowering its bone. “Cu?”

“Cubone, Bone Club!”

The Pokemon snapped to its senses and dealt the attack, but it was so half-hearted that Nico did a double take. Eevee’s health bar on Nico’s monitor had barely dropped at all.

“What was that? Bone Club, again!”

Again, Cubone attacked half-heartedly. And again, Eevee barely took any damage at all, and it was _frustrating_.

“Eevee, Covet!”

Piper’s Pokemon stood back up and nonchalantly approached Cubone, who was in-between hostile and unsure. Eevee suddenly swiped Cubone’s bone and began to run to the opposite end of the field.

Cubone stared blankly but quickly realized what had just happened. The Pokemon began chasing after Eevee angrily.

Nico’s Monitor chimed, displaying the text, “Cubone’s Rage is building!”

_‘Back on track. Sort of.’_

“Swift, again!”

Eevee spun around with the bone in its mouth and whipped its tail again, creating a new barrage of stars. This time, Cubone had nothing to counter with, and the attack hit him over and over again. Nico’s Monitor chimed the same tune, and a noticeable red aura began to fume off of Cubone.

“Cubone, Headbutt!”

The Pokemon charged head first, but Eevee danced around the Pokemon, retaliating with small Quick Attacks when it could. Nico’s monitor kept chiming with each attack until the text box was just a wall of “Cubone’s Rage is building!” notices.

Cubone’s health was down to a third, and Eevee kept chipping away with small Quick Attacks and the rare Swift attack.

“Cubone, just – just focus!”

Nico’s Pokemon looked at him with a frustrated glint in its eye but nodded anyway. The Pokemon tried to remain focused, but Eevee interrupted by attacking with Cubone’s own bone. Cubone roared in frustration, stamping its foot onto the ground and creating a shockwave that caught Eevee off-guard and made it drop the bone. Whoa.

“Cubone has learned Stomping Tantrum,” Nico’s Monitor chimed.

Cubone rushed forward with amazing speed and tackled Eevee, dramatically lowering Eevee’s health in one fell swoop. Cubone picked up its bone, turned its attention back to the opponent, and pounced furiously.

“Last Resort!” Piper called out.

Eevee was enveloped in a golden light as it met Cubone head-to-head. The Pokemon crashed together, knocking each other backward.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Eevee has fainted!”

Cubone struggled to get back on its feet, but it fell back down, knocking out.

“Oh! It seems Cubone has also fainted! The match is a tie, folks! What will happen next as our Gym Leader reveals her next Pokemon?”

Nico jogged onto the battlefield and sighed, his heart beat racing. As he carried Cubone back to the edge of the field, giving him a couple of berries to eat as he came to, Nico looked at to the stands, straining his eyes to try and find Will one last time. Finding no one, Nico sighed and laid Cubone down, turning back to the battle at hand with Murkrow’s PokeBall ready to go.

Home stretch.

 

* * *

 

The sky was turning orange. Will had sat out here watching it change from blue hues to red and orange hues. He was starving, but he refused to leave in the hope that the event would end soon and he could get back inside and find Nico. No such luck yet. And as much as he loved Igglybuff, the Pokemon was irritable on an empty stomach.

Will was just about to call it when the pounding of footsteps and chatter making its way to him made him look behind him. People were starting to file out of the building, and the doors finally open.

_‘Yes!’_ Will thought, hopping up and placing Igglybuff on his shoulder. He made sure everything was in place before making his way through the crowd, trying to get to the battlefield.

He waded through the main lobby and to his right, where he knew the room from earlier was at. After stepping on a couple of people’s toes, he finally made it to the metal door to the challenger’s waiting room. Will turned the knob and stepped inside, finding it empty.

“That’s not surprising. Let’s check if they’re still on the field,” Will said to no one in particular.

Just as he reached for the door handle that led to the field, the door flung open and Nico stepped in. His hair was askew and his shoulders were slouched, but otherwise, he looked good.

“Hey!” Will said. “Looking tired.”

Nico sighed and slumped into the chair beside him. “I am. Did you see how epic that battle was, though? Cubone was amazing, and that Meowth was no joke. Captivate almost ended Murkrow.”

“Ha, yeah uh, totally,” Will said. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “You did awesome.”

Nico was too hyped up on a post-victory high to notice Will fidgeting. “The second half dragged out, though. Where were you, anyway? I couldn’t find you in the crowd.”

“Oh, uh, I was … you know, around.”

_‘I got locked out because I went outside,’_ is what he should have said.

Again, Nico didn’t find anything suspicious about it, thankfully.

Before anything else could be said, the door swung open and Will turned to look who it was.

“Hey! That was _awesome!_ ” Leo said, practically jumping in.

“Leo? What are you –”

“Doing here? I came to see your battle against Pipes, obviously,” Leo said, leaning against the wall. He looked like he had tried to tidy up, but it was obvious that he failed, if his messy hair and the mechanical grease smeared onto his cheek and hands was anything to go by. That and his toolbelt stood out from his otherwise normal clothing.

Behind him, Piper walked into the room, looking as equally tired as Nico.

“Congrats, Nico! I had lots of fun.”

Leo laughed. “Pipes, I’ve never seen you so stressed in your life. For a second you looked scared he was going to team wipe you!”

“ _I’m_ going to team wipe you, Valdez!” Piper said with a mock-menacing tone. But the smile on her face gave her away. “Anyway, the Gym usually hosts a party of sorts after a Gym Battle. Want to come?”

“I don’t know,” Nico said. “I hate parties. And I’m really tired.”

“There’s every food you can imagine,” Piper said, almost as if she knew the magic words. Even Will perked up at the mention of food.

Nico looked at Will before turning back to Piper. “I guess for a little while.”

“Great! I’ll give you your badge and a little something else when you get there, then.”

Leo leaned in close to Nico, whispering loudly. “Don’t eat the fries. They suck. But I’ll hook you up with the best, greasiest burgers they got. Trust, bro.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back to regular updates!
> 
> Thanks for reading,
> 
> Cheers!


	7. After-Party

Will swung open the door of the location Piper had given them. He stepped into a big ballroom that had a varnished wood floor and beige walls decorated with elaborate paintings of Pokemon along scenic backgrounds.

To Will’s left was a table laid out with glass cups and plates, but no food yet. To his right, there was a set of glass doors that lead outside, to a balcony. The soft light from the sconces on the wall gave everything a final regal touch. The only thing that broke that feeling was the DJ and speakers at the front of the room.

Will whistled, letting Igglybuff jump out of his arms. “Wow, fancy stuff. There’s no one here yet, though.”

“Who cares, I just want food,” Nico said, scanning the room.

“Probably in a few minutes. Hopefully. Igglybuff, don’t touch that!” Will rushed over to take the glass cup from Igglybuff. Igglybuff pouted and waved its hand at him. Will set the glass down, sighing. “You got the four granola bars that we could buy, Iggs. At least you’ve eaten something.”

“Buff!”

The doors behind Will slammed open. Leo burst through, hands up in the air. “Leo’s in the house! Oh. No one’s here.” He slumped his shoulders, stuffing his hands into his pockets. A Darumaka entered the room behind him, waving his hands excitedly. “Not yet, Darumaka. Maybe in like thirty minutes.”

 

~

 

Will shuffled over to a secluded corner away from the crowd. He was really getting tired of how _loud_ it was. Leo was going nuts after he kicked the DJ out and replaced him, and since then Will couldn’t even hear himself think. It went from a fancy little gathering to a rave. But they couldn’t leave quite yet since Nico hadn’t received his badge. And every time they tried to tell Piper about it, she would shake her head and say, “Sorry, I can’t right now. In a little while. Sorry!”

 He scanned the crowd, looking for nothing in particular. Leo and his Darumaka were making a scene up front, trying to rile up the people that were already dancing. Piper was stuck in a conversation with a few important looking people and Aphrodite, though her smile looked painfully fake. Though if Will had to guess, the people she was talking to would never notice.

Will was about ready to see if he could find peace in the bathrooms when he saw Nico through the glass doors, looking down the balcony. Right where he had been an hour ago. And the hour before that. And before that, the half hour after people arrived in droves. Will only then realized how long they had been here. They were being held hostage in a party cell. With good burgers and mediocre fries.

Will sighed and headed to the balcony.

When he got outside he closed the glass doors, immediately muffling most of the noise behind him. The air felt cool, much better than the warm stuffiness of the room. Igglybuff and Cubone sat at a table tossing a rogue cracker back to each other. They had a large plate of saltines next to them and a mess of crumbs on the floor below them.

Will leaned against the railing next to Nico. “How’s the party out here?”

 “This sucks,” Nico said, looking over the edge of the railing.

“It’s not that bad.”

“People, flashy lights, and music that’ll make you deaf? It’s bad.”

He was right. It was getting to be too much. But the people of Bellus seemed to make a big deal out of everything. The Gym event was the first sign, and this was the second one. All that was left was a third thing to complete the trifecta. But Nico had been outside from the beginning, unlike Will.

“Nico, you’ve been out here eating food the whole time.”

“Yeah,” Nico sighed, popping another French fry into his mouth. “Not worth it, though.”

“Leo said those were awful,” Will said, picking one up. It drooped sadly.

Nico shrugged and swayed from side to side while tapping his finger against the guard rail. “If we leave, do you think they’ll mail me my badge?”

“I dunno, maybe. I think the mailman will have a hard time finding the ‘somewhere in Olympia’ address.”

“Harr, harr. So funny, Solace.”

Will laughed. “Hey, you’re smiling aren’t you? Joke’s worth something.”

“Heh, yeah,” Nico said. He paused before adding, “Already made my night.” Nico bumped his shoulder against Will’s, still staring out into the city lights.

Will felt a pleasant happiness form in his chest. It was nice, after a day of stress and miserableness.

Behind them, the door opened, letting in all the obnoxious music and chatter out. Piper held the door open, looking from Will to Nico and then to Will again. She closed the door as fast as she could.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” she said. “But I can _finally_ give you your badge. Though, I’m really sorry. There’s this whole presentation and everyone makes such a big deal about it. Just let my mother talk and it’ll be over in no time.”

Nico huffed. “Can’t you give me a spiel on some life lesson and give me the badge instead?”

“I wish, Nico. I wish.” Piper held the door open again, waiting for Nico to join her. “It’ll take like five minutes,” she yelled, her voice getting lost in the music.

Nico looked at Will before letting go of the railing and dragging his feet to the door. Cubone tossed the cracker back to Igglybuff and hopped off the table, following Nico. Piper closed the door, leaving Will alone with Igglybuff.

There was the third thing. Bellus was officially the most over-the-top place in all of Olympia.

It didn’t take long, but Will didn’t bother going in. The music stopped as Aphrodite began talking, though Will couldn’t hear her. She was making some interesting hand gestures as she talked to the crowd rather than to Nico. At the end of it, someone from the Gym presented Nico with the badge, which was in a fancy wooden box.

Soon afterward, the room started emptying out as people began to leave. Nico was able to escape from the room, followed by Cubone and Piper.

“Here’s a TM,” Piper said. “It’s Facade. This’ll get you out of a bind with status ailments when you really need it.”

“Thanks,” Nico said. He took the TM and shoved it into his pocket, along with his badge. Will caught a glimpse of it: it was white and star shaped with another figure next to it, but Will would need to look at it closer to know what it was.

“So, where are you off to now? There’s a Gym to the north and to the south. Either way, you’ll need to come back to Bellus to do them both.”

“I’m not sure. Any suggestions?”

“Well, north of here is the Fighting-type Gym. The leader there is a good guy. Kind of clumsy, but good nonetheless. You’d get stronger going there.”

Nico nodded. “We’ll go there then. Thanks.”

Piper nodded and gave her good-bye.

“Ready to go?” Will asked. He had never felt so tired after a day of basically nothing.

Nico looked around the balcony, scanning the area. “Yeah. You have everything?”

Will checked his pockets, trying to remember if he had brought anything. He looked around the balcony as well, digging his brain for something he might have forgotten. His eyes landed on the table where Igglybuff was. The plate of crackers was empty, and Igglybuff was nowhere to be found.

“Iggs?” Will called out. Nothing. “Igglybuff? Where’d you go, buddy?”

The deafening silence felt horrible.

 

* * *

 

“We’ll find Igglybuff,” Leo said, hoisting himself onto his Charizard’s back. “He probably just wandered off, you’ll see. Little dude likes his crackers.”

Nico could tell Leo wasn’t certain himself, and was just joking to lighten the mood. He couldn’t blame him, though. Will was slowly but surely losing confidence after searching the building for over half an hour. Leo’s Charizard snorted out a puff of smoke before extending its wings and taking off, leaving a trail of embers in its wake.

Leo had promised to search through the skies, and Piper had already notified Gym staff, who were already searching the streets. The last half hour had been stressful, more than Nico had ever experienced. Nico had witnessed Will go from worried to increasing amounts of panic.

“C’mon, let’s go look,” Nico said. He unhooked Murkrow’s PokeBall and released the Pokemon. “No point in staying here, right?”

Will looked at the balcony, eyes searching for something that wasn’t there. “I don’t want to leave in case Iggs comes back. But it’s been a while…” He let out a frustrated sigh, stomping his foot. Without a moment’s hesitation, he unhooked his two PokéBalls and pushed their respective buttons. A flash of red light later, and his two other Pokemon appeared.

Will quickly explained the situation to the Pokemon, which were surprisingly astute.

Hoppip looked at the balcony quizzically as it hovered, wrapping its head around the situation. It seemed to finally understand. It nodded with resolve, its face turning serious. It was a look Nico had never seen since the Pokemon was always buzzing around happily. Psyduck also gave an uncharacteristic response: the Pokemon looked directly at Will and nodded, its eyes focused for the first time.

“Murkrow, try flying around the city and see if you can spot Igglybuff,” Nico told his Pokemon. “We’ll be searching down here.”

Murkrow squawked and took off, disappearing into the night. Nico watched the Pokemon blend into the night sky, hoping for Will’s sake that Igglybuff would turn up soon.

_‘You’re worried for the Pokemon, too,’_ he thought. And he was. For all of the times he thought Igglybuff was weird, creepy, or sickly sweet, Nico liked the Pokemon. It was inseparable from Will, never out of eyeshot of each other when they had the chance.

Nico began walking towards the sidewalk. Cubone walked at his side, alert and ready at a moment’s notice. Will caught up to him, looking glum.

It was midnight now, and the city seemed to be uncharacteristically asleep. The only light came from street lamps that stood every few meters. The silence blanketed the street, making Nico realize just how much he had grown accustomed to the city bustle. Hoppip’s whirring, Psyduck’s waddle, and their footsteps all echoed eerily.

A bush rustled in front of Nico. He stopped as Cubone raised a defensive stance, but Nico was certain it was just a wild Pokemon foraging for food. The bush rustled again before a Sentret slowly scampered out, ignoring them. It moved very awkwardly, almost autonomously. The Pokemon crossed the street and disappeared into an alleyway.

_‘Weird… maybe it’s tired_.’

They kept walking, occasionally calling out the Pokémon’s name. The streets merged into the same buildings and the same street names to the point that Nico couldn’t tell if they had gone in circles.

“Nico, you don’t think – “

Nico held up his hand. He felt like he knew what Will was going to say. There were only a couple trains of thought that you could follow during these kinds of situations. “Igglybuff is fine, you’ll see. Don’t think those thoughts.”

Will let out a shaky sigh. “I’ve known Iggs for almost all of my life, since I was eight. Iggs doesn’t just disappear like this …” Will’s voice trailed off. His tone cut through Nico, and Nico hated it – Will didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve being so stressed, nor to be walking aimlessly in the middle of the night. That’s what Nico had set out to do when he set out.

Nico glanced at Will behind him, noting his exhausted and downcast demeanor. Nico was determined to change it for the better. Everything felt right when Will was his usual self. Nico would have time to digest that thought later, but for now, his main concern was finding Igglybuff and getting everyone back to the PokéCenter in one piece.

In hour into their search, they still hadn’t found anything and no one had called on either of their Monitors to notify them. The air felt cold and humid, and water had started to condense on the grass and windows of buildings they passed by. Nico felt exhausted. But he wasn’t about to stop now.

“Psyyy.”

Psyduck had stopped and was staring down a poorly light alleyway.

“Psyduck, what’s up?” Will’s voice was flat and toneless.

“Psyyy.” The Pokemon waddled forward and stopped and picked something off the floor with its bill. Psyduck waddled back and dropped it into Will’s hand.

Will held it up and flipped it in his hand. “It’s a cracker.”

Nico was confused as to why Psyduck would pick it up from the floor. Apparently, Will was, too, until he jumped in realization.

“It’s a cracker! A cracker! Iggs had a bunch of these at the party! The plate was full of them but it was empty when Igglybuff disappeared! Iggs has been here!”

Will turned back and ran to the entrance of the alley.

“Iggs! Are you there!” No response. “Tch, there’s gotta be more scattered around…”

“Psyyy.” Psyduck waggled its finger as its eyes glowed blue. The cracker in Will’s hand levitated with the Pokémon’s Psychic. Suddenly, a trail of glowing crackers illuminated the alley.

“Psyduck, you’re amazing! C’mon, let’s go!” Will said practically sprinting into the alley. Nico followed him, running as fast as he could. Cubone matched Nico’s pace, but the other two Pokemon struggled to keep up.

Nico rounded the corner to find Will stopped, looking at the end of the alleyway, which was littered with soggy cardboard boxes and a knocked-over trashcan. Igglybuff had dropped the remaining pile of crackers next to itself.

“Iggs! There you are!”

The Pokemon didn’t react, and from what Nico could see, it was staring at a grate on the floor, entranced. Will picked the Pokemon up, patting its head. The patting brought the Pokemon out of its trance-like state.

“Igglybuff?” the Pokemon asked.

“Where were you? We’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Will said, his eyes watering. “I was starting to lose the last bit of hope I had left…”

Nico sighed in relief, slumping his shoulders and rubbing his eyes. The weight in his chest lifted, instead replaced by the lull of sleepiness that weighed his conscious down. He held out his Monitor and expanded it, showing the bright blue light of the device’s screen. It burned his eyes after what felt like an eternity in a limbo-like night. Nonetheless, Nico squinted through the discomfort, looking for the contact info that Leo had hastily given him.

 

~

 

Nico sat in silence, wide awake. It was now two in the morning in the Residential District’s Pokemon Center. After a restless night, tired explanations, and an exhaustive trip through Bellus’ public transit, things had finally settled down. And yet, Nico couldn’t go to sleep. His mind was stuck on something.

Will had quickly started snoring softly with Igglybuff resting firmly against him. It felt odd to be sitting here. He felt out of place.

Nico quietly got up from his seat and tiptoed out of the room. Closing the door quietly, he made his way to the lobby of the Pokemon Center.

“Oh, hello. Long night?” Nurse Joy said from behind the counter.

“Yeah, something like that,” Nico replied. At this point, the Joys at this particular Center were all familiar with their party. Nico didn’t make much talk with them, but he felt like he should. Not that he felt like it right now.

Nico turned his attention to the TV on the wall. It was always running 24/7 news on the city below the whatever program was airing. He read the headlines: “Weather expected to reach highs of 85 degrees tomorrow; Challenger beats Bellus Gym Leader, earning badge…” and so on. After a minute, Nico read a headline that confirmed a suspicion he had formed since they started heading back:

“Pokemon disappearances reported city-wide. Special report coming up.”

Nico clicked his tongue and leaned back against the wall. Almost immediately, the program changed. The TV played a special graphic and tune for breaking news, followed by a reporter sitting behind a newsstand.

“An unprecedented event tonight as hundreds of reports have flooded the police department: Pokemon have been disappearing throughout the night; no official details yet, however Head Deputy Jenny confirms that only smaller, lighter Pokemon have been reported. It is unknown at this time if this trait is related, stay tuned for further information. In the meantime, the Police Department asks that you secure your Pokemon in their PokéBalls.”

“Hm. This has never happened before,” Nurse Joy said. “I should probably notify the others. But I wonder what’s causing it? Chansey, set up a couple more sickbeds in case any Pokemon comes in.”

“Chansey!” The Pokémon’s voice called out from the back rooms behind the counter. Nurse Joy hurried off, leaving Nico alone to his thoughts.

Nico didn’t have any kind of evidence to prove it, but he knew this wasn’t just an “unprecedented event”. Rubbing his eyes, Nico turned around and headed back to the room, knowing that he would need to be awake in a couple of hours to get back on the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops ... I forgot to click publish ... sorry! ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> I kind of forgot this was supposed to be a second part to the chapter before this, and that I should have put it out alongside the last one. Double-whoops. 
> 
> ~~I'm a bit scatter-brained these last two weeks so I haven't proof-read as much as I should have.~~
> 
> Thanks for reading,
> 
> Cheers!


	8. Route 10

“Wait, wait, wait! Nico, hold up!” Will yelled excitedly.

Nico groaned, continuing to drag his feet through the grainy path, kicking up a cloud of dirt. Functioning at 7 AM with less than three hours of sleep was his one regret in life. One of many, actually.  “We’re not even _halfway_ through the first leg of this, Solace. The sooner we get there the better.”

Will pulled on the hem of his sleeve. “Nicooo! This is important!”

“Buff!” Igglybuff chimed in, plopping itself on Nico’s head and tapping him with both of its tiny stubs.

“Fine, fine. Just stop banging my head,” Nico pleaded, stopping in his tracks. Igglybuff cheered and hopped to the ground next to Will. It hopped from side-to-side excitedly, looking up at Will. Funny how quickly things had gone back to normal after literally just a few hours.

“Check this out,” Will said, holding up his monitor so that Nico could see. It showed a graphic depicting a shaking egg, along with information on the side.  The most noticeable piece of information was below the egg itself: _It looks like it’s going to hatch soon!_

“It’s about to hatch,” Nico said.

“Yup! This is awesome! I’ve been keeping tabs on it a couple of times every day, and it just updated to this.”

Will turned his attention back to his monitor, swiping through screens and starting programs. After a few seconds, he held his monitor to Nico again. This time the monitor displayed an orange line graph that rose and fell in a pattern before spiking drastically at the end.

“Apparently this is the incubation rate for the egg over the last three days. There’s a way to do it on paper, but trust me, it’s _not_ an easy process. See these particular spikes? Whenever you or somebody close by was having a battle, the rate went up.”

Will pointed at specific peaks on the graph, which were taller than the others. Then he pointed at the big spike at the end. “That was the Gym battle yesterday. Whatever’s in that egg loves battles.”

Igglybuff made a fist-like gesture and waived it, mimicking a punch. “Igglybuff!”

“Cool,” Nico replied. “So when’s it going to hatch?”

“Wow, don’t let your enthusiasm out all at once. In the coming days, if not today. Though, if you get into a lot of battles, definitely within a few hours.”

Nico heaved a long sigh. “As great as that is, I don’t want to do any of those things right now.”

Will shook his head and put his Monitor away. “Of all the things to not be excited about, you choose almost-hatched eggs. For shame, di Angelo. For shame.”

Nico was excited for the egg to hatch. Or, as excited as he could be. The fact that it was a new Pokemon was exciting, but being new to the experience, there wasn’t anything for him to base his level of excitement on.

“I’m excited,” Nico said defensively. “But I also want to pass out for a day or two. Come on, we’ve got a lot of walking to do.”

They continued walking down Route 10, following a dirt path that was riddled with large stones as Igglybuff hummed a tune that sounded awfully familiar to the obnoxiousness Leo had played. When Nico turned back, Bellus had been lost among the cover of the trees.

Piper hadn’t even given them the chance to see if they could help, simply saying that everything would be under control before practically kicking them out. Leo simply shrugged and said, “Sorry bro, them’s the brakes.”

Pretty soon, Nico could spot an occasional pine tree among the others. Along with it was the appearances of Shroomish hiding beneath the shade of the evergreen trees. They were mainly calm, choosing to ignore them. Whenever a bird-Pokemon flew overhead, the Shroomish would lie flat and close their eyes, pretending to be normal mushrooms. Nico found it kind of amusing, seeing the Pokemon continually bob up and down.

They reached the Route’s checkpoint in an hour. It was a clearing with spaces for people to set up for some time, along with a billboard plastered with notices and a single field for battles. Thankfully, it was empty, so there wasn’t any need to use it.

Nico walked past the shoddy billboard, ignoring whatever was on the board. He found a spot that looked promising and promptly dropped to the ground, closing his eyes.

“Give me an hour,” Nico said, his voice muffled.

He heard Will sit down next to him and take something out of his bag. “The board has a paper about it being ‘Spore Season’. What do you think that means?”

Nico barely shrugged. He got comfortable and cleared his mind, waiting for the sleep to get him. It wouldn’t be hard.

 

~

 

“Nico, wake up!”

_‘Ugh. Not this dream again,’_ Nico thought. He kept his eyes closed, not willing to go through it again for the millionth time.

“C’mon, wake up! The Shroomish and Foongus are getting weird…”

That was… off. He’d never heard that before – it was mainly always the same dream.

“Buff!”

Nico felt a sudden pain against his cheek, making him open his eyes and sit up straight. The intense light of the day made it hard to see, but he could make out Will’s figure next to him. Igglybuff stood in front of him, its stub glowing orange.

Nico rubbed his burning cheek, which ached with a dull pain. Igglybuff had slapped him. He probably had a stub-shaped red mark on his face.

“Sorry! You wouldn’t wake up,” Will said. “But these Pokemon are having some kind of standoff.”

He pointed at one side of the clearing to the other. On one side of the clearing was a gathering of Shroomish, with a few Brelooms in the mix. On the other, an equally large group of Foongus crowded around four larger Amoongus. Both groups glared at each other angrily, looking ready to break into a fight.

“I think they’re being territorial,” Will said slowly. “Because it’s ‘spore season’”.

The Pokemon continued to glare at each other in deafening silence, completely ignoring Will and Nico’s group. They should no intention of moving, so Nico stood up slowly. Will followed suit, carefully getting up. After a couple of minutes, Nico sighed and turned to face Will. “I think we can just leave.”

Will nodded. But before Nico could take a step, a Shroomish to his right sneezed, releasing a puff of spores from the top of its head.

A deafening uproar of “Shroomish!” and “Foongus!” filled the clearing as both sides went nuts, hopping up and down, creating more spores. One Foongus to Nico’s left fired a shot of purple bile that headed straight at him. He didn’t have time to react as the acid hurled towards him.

Will tackled Nico, and the pair landed onto the ground with an “oof”. Dazed, Nico’s mind struggled to catch up. He could only really focus on how blue Will’s eyes were. They _were_ pretty blue. Kind of really close, too.

“C’mon, we gotta go.” Will said, lifting himself up before hoisting Nico up by the hand.

Nico took a second before shaking his head, forcing himself to get a grip.

_‘Right, right._ ’

Chaos had erupted as both groups of Pokemon began attacking each other with different kinds of spores and attacks. Cubone had bludgeoned the Foongus that had spewed the acid, making it faint.

“Cubone, let’s go!” Nico said, pointing to the path past the Shroomish. It led further down the Route, which was more heavily populated by evergreens. Nico snatched up his backpack ran, making sure that Cubone followed. He almost ran into a Shroomish that lunged forward at a Shroomish, and he jumped over another that was asleep from a Foongus’ Sleep Powder. The whole clearing had become the stage for a battle fought exclusively with spores and powders.

He stopped when he felt they had run far enough. The sounds of battle were still in the air, but it sounded distant. Nico sighed, leaning against a tree near the path next to Cubone. Will did the same as Igglybuff hopped off of his head. The group took a minute to catch their breath, but Will started to laugh.

Nico raised an eyebrow. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, nothing. It’s just,” Will snickered, motioning to his hair, “You’ve got – your hair is so messed up with spores.”

Nico ruffled his hair, causing tufts of large popcorn-sized spores to float out of his hair.

“Hey, you’ve got some too,” Nico said, pointing at Will’s hair, which was askew and speckled with those same spores.

“Ha, I know,” Will replied. “That was the weirdest thing to ever happen to me. Being in between two rival mushroom gangs. Mushroom Throwdown.”

Will burst into another fit of laughter. Nico laughed quietly, feeling lightheaded. Maybe it was a combination of the adrenaline and the field full of spores they had just escaped from.

“Heh, come on, we should get going.”

“Yeah, alright,” Will said, picking Igglybuff back up and placing it on his shoulder.

Nico started walking down the path with Cubone at his side. He had barely taken a couple of steps when Will slung his arm around Nico’s shoulder, obviously still laughing to himself. After a half attempt to shrug his arm off, Nico simply gave in.

The adrenaline got rid of his tiredness because all Nico wanted to do was walk as much as possible so that they’d get off the Route sooner. The scenery eventually turned into a dense evergreen forest that was alive with woodland Pokemon. Here, Nico could spot Pokemon he’d never seen before: Teddiursas, Yanmas, Sproinks, Pinecos and Sudowoodos were only a few that he was able to register on his unused Pokédex.

“When did you get that Pokédex?” Will asked.

“I got it my first day. Never bothered using it.”

Will hummed a response, taking out his Monitor from his backpack. From the corner of his eye, Nico watched Will swipe to the egg menu from earlier in the day.

“Look, it’s almost done! Egg coming up soon. Honestly, I’m a bit surprised it didn’t hatch right there and then in the middle of that Shroomish and Foongus fight.”

Nico’s backpack suddenly jerked backward with a sharp crack, making him lose his balance. Will held him steady though, and he remained on his feet.

“Yup, there it is. Whatever’s in that egg is gonna hatch soon,” Will said.

Nico nodded and took his backpack off before taking the egg out. It didn’t jerk again, but Nico could feel the Pokemon jostling inside the egg.

“You should carry it until it hatches,” Will suggested. “So it doesn’t hatch in your backpack and tear it apart.”

“Good call.”

Nico strapped his backpack back on and carefully carried the egg in his hands. Occasionally the egg would shudder and crack a little, but it didn’t look like it was suddenly going to hatch instantaneously.

Nico regretted the decision to carry the egg when a biker coming from the opposite direction stopped a couple feet in front of them. He was already taking out a PokéBall when he got off the bike, so Nico knew what was coming.

“Nice day today, huh? Let’s battle!”

“Uh, yeah, sure. Just – Cubone, do your thing.”

There wasn’t much room outside of the clear path, but the biker jogged a couple feet back before letting out his Pokemon. His Stantler snorted and hopped forward, shaking its head in anticipation.

The trainer called for his Pokemon to use Headbutt. As the Stantler rushed towards Cubone, Nico said, “Cubone, Bone Club – whoa.”

The egg shuddered and hopped, almost falling out of Nico’s hand. He was too distracted with the thing to pay attention to Cubone’s OHKO on the Stantler.

The biker, dejected, called back his Pokemon and offered the cash for losing the battle. “Awe, man. The day just got slightly less nice…”

“Can you give it to my Pokemon? I’ve got my hands full,” Nico asked, nodding to Cubone. The biker looked slightly offended but gave the money to Cubone, who promptly hopped up and dunked the money into Nico’s right pocket.

As the man left on his bike, Will turned back to Nico. “You didn’t have to embarrass him, you know.”

“What? I wasn’t trying to embarrass him.”

“You knocked his Pokemon out in one hit and then made him pay up to the Pokemon that did it! Cold, Nico. So, so cold.”

“I was busy with this egg!”

Will held his hand over his heart. “Such a good parent.”

Nico shook his head and continued walking. The forest didn’t seem to end, and after another hour, they were still no closer to the next checkpoint. They walked mainly in silence, save for an occasional joke by Will, who was still in good spirits.

“How did you get Cubone?” Will suddenly asked.

Nico looked up from the egg, which he had been staring at for a while. He was functioning on autopilot at this point. “What’s that?”

“How’d you meet Cubone?” Will repeated. “I mean, I’m kind of curious. Most trainers get their main Pokemon when they start their journey, but I’d be surprised if that was the case with you two. Even back at the Daycare, you two seemed like you had a long history together.

“My dad gave me Igglybuff as a birthday present when I was eight,” Will offered. “To help me with what I wanted to do at the time. That’s why Iggs knows Heal Pulse and a couple other moves that are rare for it to have. I kinda wanted to work in PokéCenters back then.” Will scratched the back of his head, a hint of red on his cheeks.

“Well,” Nico began. “I didn’t have a lot of friends when I was little. I’ve lived most of my life in this small, secluded part of an already lonely town. I spent a lot my time alone, not really doing anything.” Nico paused, mulling it over in his head. He wanted to phrase it in a way that didn’t drag it out to be the tragic sad story that it was. Too many small details that he didn’t want to elaborate on. Or bring up, really.

“I liked to go out in the forest and feed berries to Pokemon. One day, when I was maybe seven or eight, I found a Pokemon who really resonated with me. That was Cubone. And I fed Cubone berries every day, and we slowly bonded. I’ve never ‘caught’ Cubone. I guess he’s my Pokemon in the way people used to befriend Pokemon before there were PokéBalls. Nobody can even try and catch Cubone, either. The ball just bounces off.”

Cubone raised its club in agreement. “Cu!”

Will mouthed, ‘cool’ with raised eyebrows. Nico didn’t elaborate on the way he and Cubone bonded. Over their mutual feelings of losing someone valuable in their life. Nor how they quickly became fast friends by silently sitting for hours on end, sometimes until past eleven of the night, when Nico didn’t want to return home because he didn’t feel like he _had_ a home. Or even how Nico “caught” Cubone when the Pokemon saved him from an aggressive Poochyena – the incident that officially created a strong bond between the two.

“So that’s why you two were at 110% when you got to the Daycare,” Will said.

“We picked a lot of fights with wild aggressive Pokemon,” Nico admitted.

Will chuckled. “Thanks for sharing.”

The egg suddenly jerked back and forth in Nico’s hands, cracking continuously.

“It’s hatching,” Will said excitedly.

The egg continued to shake until the egg shells burst into pieces. The Pokemon that popped out landed on Nico’s hands, but it suddenly weighed more than 150 pounds. Nico struggled to keep the Pokemon in his arms, but the Pokemon dropped to the ground with a metallic thud.

“Look, an Aron!” Will said, bending down to look at the Pokemon. It scurried across the forest floor in circles.

The Pokemon looked up at Nico, eyeing him excitedly. “Aron! Aron.”

Will tapped Nico’s shoulder, giving him a PokeBall from his bag. Nico took it and tapped the button, covering the Steel-type in a red glow before capturing it. The PokeBall immediately clicked.

Without a second thought, Nico released the Pokemon again. Aron stumbled out clumsily, resuming to look around the forest floor. Igglybuff hopped down to greet it, but Aron returned the greeting with an attempted tackle. Igglybuff dodged it but looked offended at the attack.

Cubone walked up to it, and again Aron tried to tackle it. Cubone simply tapped the Pokemon with a bit of force using its club, and the Steel-type calmed down.

“It’s certainly picking fights already,” Will said. “We’re gonna have a hard time feeding this guy. They can eat normal food, but if you want it to grow, then you’ll have to find it some metal or minerals. Ores and the like.”

“Ores?” Nico asked.

“Yup, ores. Lucky for us, they’re pretty good at finding it themselves. Arons are usually loners, looking for metals to eat in mountains. So you two have at least one thing in common already – I’m joking! I’m joking!” Will held his arms up, a grin on his face.

The grass next to them rustled, and a wild Taillow jumped out. Aron immediately turned to the Pokemon and attacked it furiously, chasing the bird Pokemon as it delivered ruthless amounts of Tackles. The Taillow flew off when it had enough, but not without Aron trying to get in one last Tackle. It ended up on its back, unable to get back on its feet.

Nico liked the Pokemon already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Cheers!


	9. Trouble on the Road

The day felt cool and the sky was a cloud, moody grey, ready to rain at any minute. The forest was alive as ever, and the path through Route 10 was equally buzzing with trainers ready to test their strength. Not like it would be a problem for Nico. He had yet to lose to someone outside the League, and Will couldn’t say he wasn’t happy about that.

“Ready?” Will asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet and plucking at the straps of his backpack.

Nico nodded as he placed Murkrow’s PokeBall back onto his belt while also trying to restrain Aron from running into a tree. The Pokemon struggled and squirmed, almost winning over Nico before giving up. 

“Awesome,” Will said, standing up from his spot under the tree. He waited for Nico before turning to continue down Route 10. They still had a long trek to cover, after all.

“Hey,” the hiker said. “What about you? You up for a battle?”

“Oh, no,” Will spun around. “I don’t battle.” He held up the Breeder’s bandana, which he was wearing on his wrist today. “I work at a Daycare.”

The hiker nodded. “Oh! Sorry. Thanks anyway.”

“It’s fine. You’re Pokemon look really healthy,” Will commented. The hiker gave his thanks before continuing on his way, in the opposite direction Will and Nico were going. When they were out of earshot, Nico turned to Will.

“What's this, 'I don’t battle'? ” Nico asked mockingly.

Will rolled his eyes, a grin on his face. “It’s easier to say than, ‘I don’t battle often and I don’t feel like it now, plus my traveling partner has zero patience’.”

Cubone chimed in, nodding and saying, “Cu."

“Ooh, the betrayal,” Will said dramatically. Nico waved him off dismissively, already starting to walk away.

“Don’t get left behind,” Nico said. “Long road ahead. Come on, Aron.”

Will readjusted his backpack before following Nico. He noticed they were moving at a slower pace than usual, and it was obviously because Aron kept creating surprise detours and pit stops. The Pokemon was restless, and they had to stop regularly. Will loved the Pokemon. It was wild and enthusiastic, with a natural curiosity. Something that was completely opposite of Nico’s team – not to say that was bad.

_‘They’re all so … reserved,_ ’ Will thought, watching as Cubone walked alongside Nico. Nico had opened up a lot, that was for certain. But he was still simple in his mannerisms. Aron was like a nice equalizer – yet still being fiercely competitive in battle. And out of battle. 

_Thwack_. A low-hanging branch that Will hadn’t been paying attention to smashed into his face, hitting him square on the nose. The impact made Will fall backward and onto the dirt ground with a thud. 

“Will! What happened?” Will heard Nico say. “I – I told you to watch out for the branch!”

Will pressed his hand against his nose as Nico rushed towards him. “Ah, I must not have been paying attention. It’s fine.”

“No it isn’t,” Nico said, hovering over Will with a serious face. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have pulled the branch back.”

“Nico, it’s fine. Really,” Will’s voice came out nasally. His nose didn’t hurt that much; the blow of the hit was the real pain. Apart from that, the palms of his hands hurt from the fall. But he didn't feel that bad. 

“You’re bleeding,” Nico exclaimed, his voice carrying an increasing amount of worry. “I should have checked if you were paying attention before I let go of the –“

“Nico,” Will said firmly, wincing when a sharp pain shot through him as he tried to wipe his nose. As the adrenaline of the incident died down, the pain started to set in. His face hurt and his nose felt numb yet painful. “Don’t blame yourself. I’ll be fine, it’s nothing major. Just give me a sec.”

Igglybuff popped its head out from Will’s bag, alarmed by the sudden action. “Igglybuff?” the Pokemon asked. Will didn’t immediately respond, but after recollecting himself, he turned to the Pokemon.

“Hey Iggs. Broken nose maybe?”

Igglybuff examined him for all but two seconds before nodding its head and diving back into the bag. A few seconds later, Igglybuff reappeared with gauze. Will did his best not to flinch when he cleaned himself up for Nico’s sake, who looked both mortified and distressed about the whole thing. But boy did it hurt.

“We’re fine,” Will reassured Nico. “See? Bleeding’s already stopping.”

"Don't you need to treat it or something?" Nico asked. 

Will shook his head, tearing another piece of gauze and lightly wiping his nose. "It's not that bad, to be honest. It'll heal. Maybe sooner if Igglybuff does a couple of Heal Pulse session. That's for later, though."

Nico, slightly more at ease, sat down on the ground next to Will.

“How do I look?” Will said, giving Nico his best smile. Apparently not good enough, because Nico simply looked at him as if he was looking for something wrong that he might have missed. “Honestly, Nico, it’s just a whack in the face. Two days is all it’ll take, probably. Iggs is good at this kind of stuff.” Nico simply huffed, turning to look at the ground.

Will was grateful for Nico's concern. It felt reaffirming that Nico would care that much about something as small as this. They sat there long enough for the sun to make a brief appearance through the cloudy sky, but Will felt no rush. When Nico finally did get up, he offered Will a hand to get up. Will took it and Nico hoisted him to his feet. Nico didn't let go though and instead looked Will right in the eye, offering, "Sorry. I mean it."

“It’s – it’s fine.” Will stuttered. As Nico let go and turned to gather his things, Will remained where he was, red-faced and his hand outstretched.

“I think I’m going to bench Aron for a while,” Nico said, pulling out the Pokémon’s PokeBall. It might have been Will's imagination, but he was slightly flushed too. “We need to pick up the pace.”

Although Will was staunchly opposed to the idea, his mind was too distracted to do anything about it. Nico recalled the Aron back, who was none the wiser, and secured the PokeBall next to Murkrow’s on his belt. Nico made sure everything was in order before continuing onward.

Will followed Nico, careful to pay more attention this time. Every so often he would find himself rubbing his nose, subconsciously trying to see if the pain continued. He scolded himself, recalling that he would only make the injury irritated. The sun began to fade once again, overtaken by the clouds. Nico would periodically look back at Will, asking if he was doing okay. Each time he would ask with a genuine concern for Will’s well-being. Will wasn’t used to the attention, and so each time he would stutter out a yes.

If Will was honest, Nico had started to act distinctly different since they left Bellus. He reacted more to Will’s cheesy jokes. He didn’t shove Will away when Will was joking around. He stared straight into Will’s soul and said sorry. It was getting all getting to Will’s head. And heart. 

It started to drizzle lightly as they walked.

Will pulled his hood over his head, grumbling. “I hate rain. Let’s hope it doesn’t get worse.”

Nico glanced back, shrugging. “I like it.”

“But not when we’re in the middle of nowhere,” Will pointed out. While the forest did provide decent cover, Will had no doubt the rain would flood them out as easily as if they were in an open field. But the rain didn’t get worse - they were able to cover decent ground without so much as getting slightly damp. Will thought for sure that they would get a large portion of the Route done with by the end of the day.

The forest opened up into a clearing that was split by a roaring river. And it was roaring loudly – the water was rushing by so fast that any unfortunate Magikarp that happened to exist there swished by in a red blur. That was something you didn’t see every day.

Nico approached the bridge to their left as Will continued to look at the Magikarps being whisked away. It was mesmerizing. He counted at least fourteen different sized red and yellow blobs zoom by in the short time it took for Nico to reach the bridge. 

“I’m sorry, but you can’t cross at this time,” Will heard a voice say. He turned his attention to the bridge, which was being guarded by two Pokemon Rangers on either side. The closest Ranger to Nico was holding up his hand. “The current is hurling Magikarp at dangerous speeds.”

Will made his way to the Ranger, who continued. “Anyone who crosses is going to get seriously hurt, and we can't allow that.”

As if to illustrate his point, an especially big Magikarp slammed into one of the bridge’s longer supports, making the whole bridge whine and shudder. The Magikarp itself ricochet and continued to fly downstream, leaving an enormous fish-shaped impact mark on the bridge.

“Did that Magikarp just die?” Nico asked.

“No,” both Will and the Ranger said simultaneously.

“Oh, go ahead,” Will offered sheepishly. He had answered most of the Pokemon-related questions that Nico asked, so he answered automatically, not realizing Nico was talking to the Ranger. Fortunately, no one noticed his awkward tone.

“No, it doesn’t. Magikarp are absurdly resilient. But I can’t say the same for people nor for smaller Pokemon.” the Ranger explained. “You’re going to have to wait until the river slows down.”

Will nodded, already turning back to the cover of the woods. But Nico stayed put.

“Does this always happen?” he said. “The river getting so wild?”

The Ranger hesitated, glancing at his partner. She returned the look with equal unease. “Never like this,” the other Ranger said. She cleared her throat before continuing. “The river’s mood is tied to a powerful Water-type Pokemon. That’s why we’re stationed here – the water can get unpredictable. But it never gets so … angry.”

“We’re not quite sure what could have caused the River Pokemon to get this upset. It feels volatile …” the Ranger’s voice trailed off, looking upstream. "And we're not authorized to scope it out."

_‘Don’t you do it, di Angelo,’_ Will thought.

“Can we take a look?” Nico asked.

Will sighed, looking up at the sky. That wasn’t a good idea – water got into his eyes.

“We can’t allow that,” the Ranger said. Will wanted to give the Ranger a high-five.

“I’ve beaten four of the eight Gyms. That’s gotta stand for something,” Nico said firmly, pulling out his badge case. The Ranger looked with interest, looking at the set of badges.

“Well, if that’s the case…” Both Rangers shared a second of silent conversation before nodding. “We can’t stop you.” Will wanted to drop on the floor. Snooping around in places they shouldn’t be. Not again.

“Great. C’mon, Cubone.” Nico took three steps toward the rocky path that led upstream, but to Will’s surprise, he hesitated. “Do you … wanna come?” Nico asked.

Will couldn’t say no to that face. As much as he liked it here, away from high-speed death fish and angry Pokemon that could control entire rivers, he couldn’t say no. And even though every part of his brain yelled, _‘You’re both going to get killed. Convince him to stay!’_ his mouth said, “Yeah! Let’s go.” in a cheery tone that only a masochist could say in a situation like this.

_‘Damn, Solace!’_ Will could hear Cecil say. _‘You must be really head-over-heels for this guy if you’re gonna go fight crazy river Poke-gods with him! I can’t even get you to sneak to my house past midnight!’_

_’Shut up, Cecil_ ,’ Will thought.

The way upstream was covered in sharp, jagged rocks on a steep incline. Will followed Nico’s steps closely, testing each rock before taking the full step just in case it was loose.  “What’s the plan again?” Will called out, kicking a particularly sharp rock out of the way.

“I don’t know,” Nico replied. “Calm it down?”

“That’s it? That’s the plan?”

“The alternative is not doing anything.”

“That sounds like the better option. Let’s do that.” Will pleaded. More rugged stones greeted them at the top of the incline, where they could see the river continue to gush feverishly. Several Magikarp had been ejected onto the banks of the river. All of them flopped around helplessly.

Nico sidestepped a small Magikarp. “We’ll be wasting time. Better to try and stop it ourselves than wait it out.”

Will couldn’t argue with that. There wasn’t any good form of shelter in this part of the forest, and he wasn’t too keen on backtracking to the denser parts of it. And although the drizzle stayed as a light spray, it probably wouldn’t stay like that forever. “Okay, you got me there. But honestly? Doesn’t a Pokemon strong enough to control a river, I don’t know, worry you?”

“I can handle it.”

Will chuckled under his breath, muttering, “You always do.”

“What was that?” Nico said, turning back.

“Nothing.” Will said, shaking his head. Igglybuff popped its head out from inside Will’s bag, looking drowsy. Will nodded to the Pokemon. “Good nap, buddy?”

Igglybuff yawned, looking at the Magikarps soaring by with partial interest. It wasn’t enough to keep that interest though, because the Pokemon quickly disappeared back into the bag, falling asleep. Will figured that would happen. Igglybuff always had a distaste for gloomy, rainy days.

They walked for almost half an hour when they came to a muddy pool of water that was thrashing violently. From it, Magikarps were being ejected into the raging current. This was the place. Nico walked up to the edge of the water, his hand poised over Murkrow’s PokeBall.

Will could only imagine what the source of all this was. The most likely cause was an enraged Gyarados that was ready to tear them to shreds. He tried not to think on that. But whatever it was, it didn’t care that they were there. The water continued to gush furiously. No giant water serpent to be seen.

Nico picked up a rock and threw it into the water. Nothing.

“Well, nothing here. Let’s head back,” Will said anxiously.

Nico didn’t budge, instead looking around the area before walking over to a large boulder with keen interest. Will quickly joined him, trying to find what had caught his attention.

“Look,” Nico said, pointing down at the mud. There were two sets of footprints. From the looks of it, whoever made the footsteps came from the forest before running frantically somewhere along the line. They were sporadically placed, which gave off the air that the people struggled with something. Finally, the steps led to the big boulder and then back into the forest.

“Cubone, Bone Club that rock.”

Cubone nodded, delivering a swift and powerful strike on the boulder. It promptly shattered into pieces with a crack. It wasn’t a rock at all - it was just a prop. Puzzled, Will bent down and sifted through the debris. He quickly found a small device the size of his hand with two simple wires, a button, and a flashing red light.

Will pushed the button without thinking. The device seemed to power down, indicated by the light turning off. The body of water suddenly became still. The loud roar of the river subsided. Everything was deafeningly silent. Just the gentle current of the stream returning to normal. 

The peace didn’t last. The ground began to rumble, making the rocks around them jitter across the muddy ground. A cascade of water erupted from the center of the water, dowsing them instantly. 

Will wiped his eyes, shivering. The water was relatively warm, but the cold air didn't make things better. He focused on what had made the eruption. Before them, floating in the center of the water, was a furious Milotic surrounded by a blue glow.

_‘Oops,’_ was all Will could think before the Pokemon screeched loudly and shot a scalding burst of water at them. Cubone kicked up a hefty wad of mud that acted like a well-timed barrier, absorbing the attack. When the mud fell back to the ground, Milotic dove back into the water before resurfacing in rage. 

“Why is it attacking us?” Will yelled. “Milotics are peacemaking Pokemon!”

“Cubone, Bonemerang!” Nico commanded.

Cubone threw its club at Milotic. Just as the club was about to hit Milotic, the Pokemon stopped it in its tracks with Psychic and returning the attack at twice the speed. Cubone was knocked backwards into Nico. The pair flew back and hit the mud hard.

Will fumbled with his belt, struggling to take out a PokeBall. It didn’t matter which one. Finally, he unhooked Hoppip's PokeBall and called the Pokemon out. 

“Leech Seed, Hoppip!”

The Pokemon burst out in a flash of light, already launching a set of three seeds at Milotic. The Water-type projected a glossy reflective barrier, shielding itself from the attack. The seeds bounced off harmlessly, but Hoppip was already preparing its next move. Will looked frantically in Nico's direction. Either he was too nervous or he simply looked in the wrong direction, but they were nowhere to be found. 

Hoppip launched barrage after barrage of seeds, which flew at Milotic from every direction. Milotic managed to deflect most of them with ease, but a couple of them manage to creep their way through the Pokémon’s defenses. The seeds sprouted roots that constricted around Milotic, absorbing its energy. The Pokemon shot another stream of scalding water, which narrowly missed Will. It came so close that he could feel the intensity of the heat as it rushed past him. 

Cubone rushed out again at full speed, poised to attack. As Milotic was distracted, Cubone struck it repeatedly, dodging the tail slaps that Milotic tried to land. The Water-type didn't seem to be taking much damage from the attacks. In fact, it looked more agitated than before. Hoppip used Fairy Wind, but it hardly did a thing. Will was certain they weren't getting anywhere.

"Igglybuff, I need you to wake up now," Will said, pushing his backpack in multiple places. "Wake up, Iggs.

Will heard a muffled "buff?" from inside the bag.

"Come on, buddy," Will pleaded. "This is urgent."

Milotic thrashed about, shooting jets of water in every direction. One of them hit Hoppip, knocking it out in one hit. Will barely had time to recall his Pokemon when Milotic began charging a bright ball of raw energy at the front of its mouth. Will immediately knew what it was: Hyper Beam. Igglybuff popped its head out of the bag.

"Iggly?"

Milotic tried aiming at Cubone, but the Pokemon was running and climbing around so quickly that Miltoic resigned and turned its attention to Will. 

_‘That’s not good.’_

Thinking quickly, Will called out, "Copycat!"

Igglybuff nodded, leaping forward. The Pokemon began to emit a green aura and started to imitate Milotic. A copy of Milotic’s energy ball appeared in front of Igglybuff, and both fired at the same time. The two beams clashed, canceling each other out and creating a shockwave that sent Igglybuff flying backward and everyone else stumbling a few steps back.

Will waited for a follow-up from Milotic, but it didn’t come. The Pokemon simply stared at them with a new sense of curiosity, as if it had come to its senses. The anger in its eyes was gone. It quickly disappeared back into the water, leaving a glowing trinket behind. The item washed onto the river bank, where Nico picked it up.

“You okay?” Nico asked. He was grabbing the shoulder he had landed on when Cubone was thrown into him. Will made a mental note to have a look at it later.

“Yeah, fine.” Will replied. His life had flashed before his eyes. Or rather, two strong beams of light that had clashed together flashed by. “Let’s not do that again. What’s the thing it dropped?”

“Some sort of scale,” Nico held the item up so Will could see. It was a brilliantly colored scale, refracting all colors of the rainbow, like a prism.

“A prism scale,” Will murmured. “They’re extremely rare. But I wonder why it attacked us in the first place?”

Nico took the device that Will had unconsciously been holding onto tightly. “It probably has something to do with this. We gotta get this to – “

“Shiftry!” a Pokemon yelled, coming from the forest. It leapt forward and released leaf-like darts that punctured the device right in Nico’s hands. The attack short circuited the device, rendering it useless. Before Cubone could take action, the Pokemon retreated back into the forest and out of sight. The sound of PokeBall activating resounded through the woods, followed by someone scrambling away.

Nico looked thoroughly irritated, tightening his grip on the now broken device. He didn’t give chase though, which took Will by surprise. He’d usually lose his cool and take reckless actions by now. “It’s those idiot Terras people. We need to find a way to get this thing to someone once we get to the next town. What’s left of it, anyway.”

Will stared at the part of the forest that Shiftry had ran into. The forest remained unmoving, staring back at Will with a placid silence, as if nothing had happened. Will was grateful that he wasn't trying to run through the woods frantically this time. Not after all this. He took out a new, clean sweater out of his backpack and peeled off the one he was currently wearing. He flinched when the collar pressed against his nose, but he didn't make a big fuss about it.

The drizzle turned into actual rain that pelted him as he pulled on the clean sweater. He hated rain. It made everything ten times worse.

“… At least we can cross the bridge now," he said. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bad time to be uninspired and have writer's block. These next few chapters are so intertwined!
> 
> Thanks for reading,
> 
> Cheers!


	10. Trouble on the Road pt. 2

Will awoke to a painful headache and the sound of a steady downpour.

The warmth of his sleeping bag made it hard to breathe, but it was better than being exposed to the forest’s wrath. Regardless, he unzipped the bag, letting in an uncomfortably cold chill that prickled his skin. He sat up, pressing his hand against his forehead in a useless attempt to stop the pounding. His nose felt swollen, too. He felt awful.

The rain had picked up considerably after they made it back to the bridge. Luckily, the Rangers were gracious enough to give them a tarp, two waterproof jackets and two thermoses filled to the brim with hot chocolate from their outpost. The tarp was Will’s lifesaver – strung between two tree branches and staked into the ground, it protected them well from the rain. The thermos remained next to him, one empty and another only a third finished.

Will got out of his sleeping bag quickly and began changing, anxious to get into warmer clothes. He pulled on a standard yellow tee and then pulled out a random sweater from his backpack. He stopped when he saw that it was the fluffy green sweater he had worn the first night he left home. It felt odd. That first night had been peaceful and happy, full of giddy energy from leaving home for the first time, among other things. To think that everything would be completely opposite the next time he wore it.

With an injured nose, a ruthless headache, and frigid weather, Will felt a longing desire for the past when he put the sweater on. The comfort, the leniency, the routine. Everything.

Across from him, Nico suddenly jolted up, breathing shakily.

“Hey,” Will said softly. His voice came out nasally again. “Nightmare?”

Nico didn’t immediately respond. He still seemed lost in whatever world he had woken up from, not really paying attention. “… Yeah. Nightmare … We should get moving soon.” He hunched his shoulders and rubbed his eyes. “How are you?”

“Ah, you know. Could be worse?” Will shrugged.

Nico opened one eye to look at him. “You look awful.”

“Wow, thanks.”

“You know what I mean,” Nico said, shoving his sleeping bag off and crawling over to Will. It wasn’t that big of a space to begin with, and Nico closed what little of it there was. “Are you going to be okay?”

“Um, I think so,” Will stuttered. “Iggs will patch me up.”

“Okay,” Nico said after looking at Will intently. “Are you sure?”

Will nodded, face feeling hot at both their closeness and Nico’s choice of sleepwear. “You should throw something on,” Will said. “It’s really cold. And wet.”

 

~

 

“Nico, we should stop soon,” Will said miserably. The forest became sparse and the rain was getting heavier. The jackets were a big help, but they could only trudge through the mud for so long. His legs were beginning to hurt. Igglybuff and Cubone were their backpacks - they had agreed that they could travel easier that way. The same could not be said for them, though.

“We can’t,” Nico said. “We need to make some ground or we’ll be wasting time.”

Will sighed, frustrated. He could get behind wanting to make progress, so he didn’t rebut the idea. But the longer they trudged on, the moodier he felt. And Nico refused to stop, always pressing forward at the same pace.

It seemed to go on and on. Always the same muddy path with the same trees around it. The same pounding in his head, the same pained numbness in his nose, and the same burn in his legs.

By the time Nico checked in with him two hours in, Will was quietly smoldering with bitterness. He didn’t bother to answer Nico, hardly even looking up or shrugging.

If Nico caught wind of how Will was feeling, he didn’t act on it. And although Will knew it was unreasonable to do so, he felt slightly annoyed about it. 

The monotony of the day finally broke after another half hour.

“There’s a place up ahead,” Nico said. He pointed at some lights visible through the rain.

“Thank gods,” Will muttered, following Nico at a jogging pace. The rain had come down hard, making it hard to see and even harder to think. He was thoroughly soaked inside and out.

In the distance was a small building off the side of the road. Fashioned with a couple of bright, rainbow-colored decorations and a few flowers, it looked like a great place to stay. If they were welcome. It didn’t take them long to reach the front steps of the building. It looked like a store.

“You first,” Nico offered. Will hoped whoever owned this place wouldn’t get too mad that they were sopping wet.

“Hello?” Will said, peeking into the building. A blast of pleasant warm air filled Will’s body, making him sigh. It looked like a shop that he would find back home, which was weird considering it wasn’t anywhere near town. It looked like no one was around, but every light was on nonetheless. It couldn’t hurt if they ducked inside for a while, considering the sheets of rain outside. The shop clerk would understand.

Will stepped inside, breathing a shaky sigh.

“Do you think anybody’s here?” Nico asked.

“Indeed, there is! You can’t just barge in, you know!”

A woman stepped out from a doorway behind the counter. She was wearing a simple blouse and blue jeans. A set of prism scales adorned a lustrous necklace on her neck, and she donned a messily tied bun that loosely kept her hair up.

“Knock, ring the bell, something!” she continued. The woman looked irritated, as if they were interrupting her from something special. 

“B-but, it’s a store,” Will said, taking a step back. “Isn’t it?”

“Oh! Oh, right!” the woman said, her tone and facial expressions completely changing. Her posture relaxed and a jovial smile replaced her frown. She didn’t seem to notice or care that they were dripping from head to toe, potentially ruining her wooden floor. “I’m so sorry. I haven’t had anyone visit in a while. I’m Iris! How can I help you?”

“We’re not sure,” Will replied cautiously. Her sudden change in attitude was a bit jarring.

“It’s pouring outside,” Nico added.

“I see. Well, feel free to browse, check out my services. We’re pretty cheap here, and the products are all organically grown, pesticide-free, and everything in-between.” Iris said, waving to the rest of the shop. “That’s a good slogan, I should write that down,” she muttered, searching for something behind the counter. “Where did I leave that pen?”

Will picked up a product from the nearest shelf. The orange tin can was delicately packaged in a DIY-esque style, with a catch line and ingredient information on the back.

‘Poison, Paralysis, Sleep? Cure any ailment with Heal Powder! Chemical free. Safe alternative to other similar products.’

“So you sell homemade remedies?” Will asked. He could appreciate that, although the ingredients on the back made him question the quality of the products. There were some odd things mixed into that thing.

“Well, it’s a long story,” Iris said, putting her newfound pen down. She hoisted herself up onto the counter and turned to face them. She looked at them keenly, looking for something in their appearance. She seemed to have found what she was looking for, because she relaxed. “You two are clear.”

What they were clear of, Will wasn’t sure.

“My job is supposed to be managing and maintaining a messaging system in Olympia. But, with the novelty of Monitors, I was out of a job.” She sighed, clearly reliving past memories. “Don’t use those things, by the way. Did you know the blue light they give off can completely mess up your sleeping habits? I have a tonic for that, by the way.”

“Messaging?” Nico asked. He was standing over a set of contraptions that were advertised as an alternative to vitamin pills like Calcium and Zinc.

“Yup. Before Monitors, we had these.”

Iris took out red feather with yellow, brown, and white streaks at the top from one of the drawers behind her. Interested, Will put the Heal Powder down to get a closer look.

_‘… It’s a feather,’_ Will thought.

Iris continued, holding the feather in her hand and making a circular motion. The feather refracted light into a rainbow like a prism, similar to how a prism scale did. The feather disintegrated, leaving behind a shimmer of light that floated where the feather was above Iris’ hand.

“At this point, you say something like, ‘Ho-Oh, I offer thee’ and blah blah blah,” Iris waved her hand through the shimmering light repeatedly, making it disappear. “Then you could contact anyone you want.”

Iris casually continued as if what she just did was commonplace in Olympia. “After Monitors took over, I started shipping goods – it’s a very similar process – after Hermes ran off to do gods knows what. Then I got bored of that, so I set up shop here, selling all kinds of alternatives to the synthetic garbage in PokéMarts,” she sighed. “Good times.”

Will had a million questions. Most of them revolved around the magic portal-creating feather. Another was about how far back in time would they have to go to not have Monitors.

“You said you used to deliver stuff,” Nico said, apparently more interested in that fact over the magical feather. “Can you still do that?”

“Sure!” Iris said, hopping off the counter, ringing up the cash register before pausing. “There’s a fee based on how big your package is. What are you going to send?”

Nico pulled out the broken device they found at the river.

Iris scrunched her face. “That measly thing? It’s fine, I guess.” She punched a few buttons into the register. “Would you like to make a small donation to the Iris Delivery Service?”

“Donations?” Will asked.

“This joint does _not_ run on sunshine and rainbows, you know. Regardless of the symbolism.”

“Sure,” Nico said. 

“Thank you for your patronage!” Iris said. “That’ll be … one Prism Scale. You lucked out – your package isn’t very big. Huh, I remember it being more expensive.”

“I – what?” Will asked in astonishment. “Prism scale?”

“Yeah. Standard currency,” Iris said matter-of-factly.

_‘Standard? No one pays with that,’_ Will thought. Nevermind that it just so happened that they got one randomly just yesterday.

Nico took out the scale and wrote a small note and handed both the device and the not to Iris. He didn’t seem to be phased by it much, which was surprising to Will.

_‘No, more like bewildering,’_ Will thought.  Iris retrieved another feather and recreated the shimmering circle of light again.

“Who are you sending this to? I need a full name and place if possible.”

“Um, I’m not sure,” Nico said. “The Gym Leader, Leo, from Lavarge? I don’t know his full name.”

“Hephaestus’ kid? Sure thing.” Iris taped the note to the device using a dusty-looking tape dispenser and held it all up in front of her. “Ho-Oh, I offer thee; With the power of a Rainbow Wing, send this sucker to Leo Valdez of Lavarge.”

Iris tossed the device into the shimmering circle. It disappeared through it and the light disintegrated.

“You’re all set,” Iris said. “He got it already. Hey, thanks for the business! I can’t tell you how long it’s been – these Prism Scales work wonders! Why don’t you two stay a while, away from the rain? I’ve got some cots and a spare room in the back.”

 

~

 

Will’s mind was too busy thinking. He grew up with stories of great, powerful Pokemon that were so strong that they shaped the world and kept it in balance. Legendary Pokemon, if Will recalled. There were also regular Pokemon with enormous mystical power that was equal to that of a Legendary. Of course, no one had ever seen them except for in myths and legends.

The stories talked about people who earned the trust of these Legendaries and earned their patronage. When the legendary became a person’s patron, the person would become an extraordinary individual. They were able to bring forth the power of their Legendary patron through their own Pokemon thanks to the bond they shared. These people were said to exist forever, as long as the Legendary Pokemon they bonded with continued to have power.

But that was it. They were just stories. Will wouldn’t question them as anything but stories, except for what he had just witnessed. Iris had summoned a magical portal with a magical feather by chanting a magical offering. An offering addressed to the mythical Ho-Oh, one such Legendary Pokemon from the stories Will heard as a child.

The Rainbow Pokemon. Rainbow feathers. Rainbow necklace. Rainbow-themed shop. If Will didn’t know that the stories he heard were just stories, he’d say that Iris was someone who had received Ho-Oh’s unique patronage.

Obviously, teleportation was possible. Psychic-types did it all the time. Except there was no Pokemon involved in Iris’ process.

“What’re you thinking about?” Nico asked. He was pacing the room back and forth. Cubone sat on Nico’s cot, next to all of his gear and his PokeBall belt.

“I think you know.”

“The whole feather thing.”

“Don’t tell me it doesn’t surprise you,” Will said.

“It doesn’t,” Nico said. “I don’t know how to explain it, but it feels like something I’ve known about before. I just don’t know why.”

“How does something like _that_ not stick in your mind?” Will asked, flabbergasted.

Nico simply shrugged, still pacing the room. “It doesn’t really matter, does it? We just need to wait for Leo to get in touch.”

“Hmm,” Will grumbled. Nico’s complete disinterest on the subject irked Will. He rolled over in his cot to face the window. The water splattered down hitting the window with heavy thuds. A Ludicolo sauntered through the open plains, escorting a pair of Teddiursas into the forest, sheltering them from the rain.

“How are you feeling?” Nico asked.

“Fine. The weather sucks,” Will answered tonelessly. The words sounded harsh as they left his mouth, and Will half-wished that he hadn’t said it so blandly.

The rain persisted. Will wondered if he’d ever see the sun again. Becoming increasingly bored, he lifted himself off the cot and walked into the store again.

Iris was in the backroom hard at work, grabbing things from shelves and rearranging them, sometimes handing things to a Swablu and muttering something to herself. Her hair was down now, flowing back and forth as she moved. She seemed livelier than when they had walked in.

“Hey Iris,” Will said, knocking on the door frame. “I have a question.”

Iris turned to him with three glass jars in her hands with a tin can labeled ‘berry extract’ balancing at the top. “Sure, fire away. If you’re going to ask what I use in my products, I’m going to have to decline, though.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just … I’ve never seen anyone use prism scales as currency. I know they’re valuable, but you have to admit it’s kinda weird.”

Iris made a face, staring at Will incredulously. “It’s standard currency across Olympia. None of that paper stuff people call money. What’s it worth? Nothing, it’s just pressed plant mush.”

Will’s expression prompted Iris to continue. “Oh, come now. You’ve never used prism scales?”

Will shook his head, not really knowing what else to say. It was a first for him. No matter how much he scoured his brain, he couldn’t recall a single moment where prism scales were even remotely used for anything besides being a fancy piece of jewelry.

Nico walked into the room, holding a piece of paper. He stopped in his tracks when Iris jabbed a finger at him, pointing. “What about you? Surely _you_ know about prism scales.”

Nico shook his head as well with a raised eyebrow.

Iris frowned. "But you two are just dripping mystical aura."

"I’m … sorry?" Will asked, confused.  "I don't... " he trailed off, lacking anything to say. Nico looked at a loss for words, too.

“You two don't know anything. Interesting … I have to wonder why."

Will opened his mouth to protest, but Iris raised her hand. "I won't say anything more. But, I _will_  show you something."

Iris showed them an overgrown path behind her shop. It was thin and hardly visible, but it looked like she knew the path well. It took them through a thick part of the forest, winding between ancient trees and tangled overgrowth. In general, everything looked more ancient here; untouched by urbanization or by hikers and rangers, the environment felt sage-like, as if the trees themselves had a long story to tell.

The foliage was so thick here that hardly any rain was able to come through, instead of running down the tree trunks. It was also strangely quiet. The usual forest chatter of the Pokemon living in their natural habitat was absent, leaving the cracking of twigs and dry leaves to fill the air.

After a twenty-minute walk, Iris declared they were almost there. They skirted a particularly enormous set of trees before a crumbling building came into view. Dark grey in color with climbing vines all over it and a caved-in roof, the thing was hardly welcoming. But Iris pressed onward, climbing the steps leading to the entrance of the building.

The ruins looked ancient, with crumbling stone pillars and marble floors that had cracked and changed color with age. Will felt like it was something out of a movie. Movies where the hero evades traps to get the treasure.

Iris led them inside, her necklace shimmering and emitting an opulent glow that bounced off the walls, giving a beautiful lighting to an otherwise creepy atmosphere. The walls had sculpted 3-D images depicting Pokemon and people in different scenarios. One was of the two working together to farm, while another showed people battling each other. At least some things never changed.

"Are you at least familiar with the ancient stories? Of the ancients that formed the world?" Iris said, her voice echoing through the chamber.

"Yeah," Will said.

Iris nodded, continuing to walk. She stopped at the end of the chamber in front of the back wall. It contained a scene much bigger than all the other ones and depicted lightning, crashing water, and infernos.

"In the beginning, there was primal chaos. Only until Legendary Pokemon shaped the world into order did that chaos wane. It has remained that way ever since."

Will noted Pokemon fighting one another with fearsome appearances. Must have been the art style. It was pretty dated.

"In a state of primal chaos, everything was... unagreeable. The world was a terrible place to live in." Iris said, looking at the same Pokemon Will had just looked at with a sour face. “Of course, that primal instinct lives on in this world, dormant in a remote part of Olympia. Should it awaken … well, let’s just say that what we see here is an accurate portrayal of what will happen.”

“It’s just a story, though,” Will said. “Like Legendary Pokemon.”

Iris turned to him, her expression slightly amused. “Every story is founded upon some truth. And behind every truth, however small, is a greater story to be told. And I’ve caught drift of a small truth living out here. There have been whispers of a great movement. It seeks to bring back what everything once was.”

Nico shifted, looking uncomfortable. “Speaking in riddles doesn’t help much.”

Iris laughed. "That's all I will tell you. It isn't good for one such as I to meddle in fate. Like I’ve said before, there’s a lot at stake. Just as much good as bad can happen, and I don’t intend on being the cause for the bad."

"What does that mean?" Will asked. If anything, he felt more confused than ever. _‘What does that have to do with us?’_

“If you continue through the woods past these ruins, you’ll arrive at a point further down Route 10. It should cut two hours off your journey. Take these, as well. Normally you’d have to pay for them, but I can see a new business venture – catering!” Iris said, handing Will and Nico a small bag each. Will opened the bag and saw that it was filled with Rainbow Wings. “Just say, ‘Ho-Oh, I offer thee; hook me up with an Iris-package’, and I’ll send you a little care package with a little bit of everything in my shop. For a fee, of course – one prism scale.”

“Wait – I still don’t get it. Any of this.” Will said.

“It isn’t my place to drop so much information on you. Now, I must get going,” Iris said as she pushed them along out of the ruins. She hurried them along until they were outside. “Goodbye, travelers. Though difficult times come ahead, remember: the best part of a terrible thunderstorm is that a magnificent rainbow will always follow. Perhaps sooner than you think.”

She winked before turning her back to them and walking back into the ruins. 

As they walked down the path that Iris had told them about until the ruins were so far off the building looks minuscule. Iris had been oddly kind to them, despite not even knowing their names. It was hard to believe a prism scale, no matter how valuable, would be worth so much help and favors. Will looked back. Through the downpour of rain, he could have sworn he saw a large, red and yellow bird Pokemon with a woman riding on its back. Must have been the rain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of exposition here! A good chunk of the story is going to be coming into play, finally.
> 
> Thanks for reading,
> 
> Cheers!


	11. Trouble on the Road pt. 3

Tree. Tree. Another tree.

The texture of the mud had changed. It was more watery and entered his shoes more easily. Will would describe it as sloshy, yet full of hard grainy pebbles, like melting shaved ice.

Will sighed, tugging on the hem of his sweater to cover his mouth. The frigid cold was at least somewhat bearable when he did that.

The spark of interest created by the day before had been smothered out quickly. Soon enough, they had fallen back into a methodical rhythm of aimless walking.

Nico was keeping a steady pace with Will, even falling behind a bit at times, despite the fact that his demeanor didn’t seem to wear down one bit. And all things considered, that was frustrating. Everyone had their limits, and the fact that he didn’t seem to even _show_ the _slightest_ sign of reaching that limit was exacerbating.  

Meanwhile, Will was walking with a messed up nose, a constant headache, and running on only a few hours of sleep because the weather decided he hadn’t suffered enough and dropped to the coldest Will had ever been. He felt like a worn down car, barely tugging along on a drained battery and flat tires.

“… Do you want to take a break?” Nico asked.

“Hm?”

“Do you want to take a break?” Nico repeated, turning to look at Will and slowing down.

“I – uh, no. Let’s keep going,” Will replied, surprised at the question. In the days they had been out here, it was never really an option. They had somewhere to get to, and that’s what they were going to do. It was just the way Nico operated. He took a full step forwards, but Nico held him back.

“We’re going to stop a while. We’re almost done anyway.”

_’Don’t stop because I’m holding you back,’_ Will wanted to retort. Catching himself, Will sighed, agitated. _‘Cool your jets, Will. That’s not why he’s asking.’_

Nico persisted, unaware of Will’s thoughts. He began walking to a piece of natural shelter on the wayside of the road, not so far off. The enormous boulder had an overhang that provided ample enough protection from the rain. Will followed Nico, shaking his hair as they entered the only dry space in miles.

Will slung off his backpack and almost tossed it into the wall of the boulder before remembering that Igglybuff was inside. He set the bag down carefully and stretched his arms. His shoulders were beginning to feel sore from the weight of his luggage. So now he was a battered car with a creaky steering wheel, too.

“I’ll be right back,” Nico said. “Going to try and get some dry wood somewhere, and we can start a fire or something.”

He looked around awkwardly as if wanting to say something more, before turning back into the woods and leaving with Cubone. The Pokemon followed him faithfully, with as much strength and preserverence as it had when they started Route 10.

Will huddled closely against the back of the wall, brushing himself off and rubbing his arms. He was alone with his own thoughts. Will paced the shelter after a while, thankful for the lack of rain pelting his body but also wishing he was somewhere else. He passed by a large puddle of rainwater, pooling near the edge of the shelter.

Will stopped, looking at his muddy reflection.

He looked horrible. His hair askew, his nose inflamed, and his eyes baggy and tired, Will was taken aback by the person staring back at him. He looked angry. Irritated, distressed, and sick. No wonder Nico wanted to stop and take a break. Will looked terrible, and his attitude hadn’t been any better in recent days.  

It was a wonder Nico hadn’t become fed up with it.

 A patch of grass rustled, and Will could here soppy footsteps coming toward him. He took a deep breath, trying to form an apology in his head. Nico deserved better.

“Hey, Nico. I’m sorr –“

A Teddiursa came running out of the forest. It yelped with every step it took, and Will noticed that it was afflicted with a paralysis ailment, hindering its movement. The Pokemon struggled against its own muscles to move as quickly as possible in jagged motions. It turned to look at Will with scared eyes, and Will noticed a short-circuting collar of some sort tightly wound around its paw.

Will watched as it scurried as quickly as it could behind his backpack.

Faster, bulkier footsteps came bounding out of the forest. Will jumped, hand instinctively hovering over his PokeBall belt. He half considered going to wake Igglybuff, but dismissed the idea – there wasn’t enough time for that. And Igglybuff wouldn’t have time to wake up fully.

An Exeggutor burst out of the foliage, followed by a trainer. The trainer wore a dark brown jacket over a green shirt and cargo pants. A fancy “T” embroidered on the front of his jacket told Will all he needed to know: _Terras_. The pair stopped only a few feet away from Will, looking menacing.  

“Hey, be quick. You’ve seen a Teddiursa come around here?” the trainer said. He had a scowl etched on his face and acerbic glare that rivaled that of an Arbok. His rough demeanor was complimented by the Exeggutor that accompanied him – although Exeggutors were normally so carefree they came off as dopey, this particular one had two spiteful expressions. Except for the third face, which looked blissfully unaware of their agenda.

Will should have said no. Logically, they would have left – there was no reason to suspect otherwise. But Will wasn’t thinking straight. He had had the worst week, and he was at his limit.

_‘I’m_ not _ending the week getting pushed around by these guys_ ,’ Will thought, glaring at the other trainer. The trainer returned the glare even more menacingly, if that was possible, realizing that Will did know about the Teddiursa. _‘And I’m not letting them take this little guy.’_

“Why do you want the Pokemon?” Will said impatiently, having no desire to skirt around the problem.

The Terras trainer shrugged, laughing under his breath. His posture loosened as if he was relaxing. “Just business.”

Will reached for Psyduck’s PokeBall, but Exeggutor was faster. The Pokemon shook its leaves and released a condensed ball of powder towards Will. Will coughed, trying his best to cover his face from the spores. But they were already having an effect on him, making him disorientated and sleepy. Will managed to catch himself up against the wall of the rock, sliding down into a sitting position.

_‘Sleep Powder,’_ Will thought wearily.

“Normally, I’d take your Pokemon,” the Terras trainer said smugly, his voice becoming distant.  He turned his attention to Will’s bag, where the Teddiursa’s paw was barely visible as it tried to hide. “But I’ve got bigger things to fry.”

Will wasn’t certain what happened next. As Exeguttor stepped by Will and loomed over the bag, a small figure lashed out with large, shadowy claws. Will passed out before they struck Exeguttor, however.

 

~

 

“Iggly! Buff!”

“Will? Will, wake up!”

Will opened his eyes. Nico was kneeling in front of him, a pile of wood hastily strewn across the floor. Igglybuff clung onto his shoulder, and Cubone stood by closely holding some wood with one arm and his club in another.

“What happened?” Nico said.

Will couldn’t remember; it was all a fuzzy mess, mixed with a heavy feeling of dread. As he looked at the floor, which showed signs of fighting and struggle, it all came back to him. Teddiursa. Terras.

“How long were you gone? Did you see a Teddiursa? Exeggutor?” Will said rapidly, sitting up quickly.

“Slow down. What happened?” Nico repeated, although he himself was speaking quickly. Will shook his head, steering the conversation back to the matter at hand.

“Did you?” Will said, standing up and shuffling to his backpack. It was knocked over, and most of the things in it had spilled out. “Did you see other Pokemon here?”

“No,” Nico said simply. “I didn’t. I was only gone for fifteen minutes.”

Will kicked the soggy dirt in frustration, cursing under his breath.

“Want to tell me what happened?” Nico asked, his voice more serious and less worried.

Will grumbled, mulling the event over. He didn’t do anything – couldn’t was the more appropriate phrasing. A Pokemon had fallen victim to Terras’ hands because of that. A Pokemon that was scared and in pain, at the mercy of a kidnapper. He didn’t even get to take out a Pokemon, much less have a short battle. Will was powerless, unable to do anything. It was infuriating.  After a moment of silence, Will began his explanation through gritted teeth. “Some Terras goon was after a Pokemon. I tried to stop them, but – “

“Terras?” Nico interrupted. “Did they hurt you?”

“I can fend for myself,” Will snapped.

“… Right.” Nico muttered, turning around after a few seconds. “Obviously.”

An awkward silence ensued as Nico began collecting the wood he had dropped before. Igglybuff looked at Will with questioning glances, its usual smile in a frown. The silence was becoming too much, and Will had already started to regret his attitude and actions. But he didn’t get to apologize – Nico had already started a fire and was huddling close to it, his back turned to Will.

Will sighed quietly, slouching his shoulders as he resigned to letting go of his anger. He wasn’t the person he saw in the puddle’s reflection. This wasn’t him.

Will sat down next to Nico, looking at the fire.

“Listen, Nico – “

“You can go, you know,” Nico said. His defeated tone made Will feel worse.

“What?” Will said quietly.

“I’ve put you through a lot. You don’t have to do this anymore.”

“That’s not true,” Will began, but Nico didn’t let him finish.

“Yes, it is. Since Route 2, you’ve slid down cliffs, ran from danger, had run-ins with these _insane_ cult guys, you’ve gotten so many injuries – and you almost lost Igglybuff, your best friend,” Nico paused, as if trying to work through his own words. He didn’t sound angry or irritated. The way he was slumped over expressed that he had been thinking this for a while. “I get it. If you want to go home, I understand. You’ve been muttering about going home in your sleep.”

“I…” Will trailed off. Yes, he was miserable. Yes, the journey had been full of surprises. But he had never once considered going home. He had thoughts about home, yes. But not actually going home and staying there.

“Why are you even doing this,” Nico said. “there’s nothing in it for you.”

There was. But Will couldn’t think of it right now.

“Sure there is,” Will said. Despite himself, he offered a meager smile. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Nico looked unconvinced, and instead opted to staring at the fire intently. Will could barely make out a frown on Nico’s otherwise indifferent expression.

“Can we talk about this a different time?” Will said. “When we get into town?”

Nico hardly nodded, but Will took it. As exhausted and drained as he was, Will was determined to change things for the better. It wasn’t good for Nico to have that kind of mentality. He was here because he wanted to be, after all. Nico stood up suddenly, walking back into the rain.

“I’m going to get more wood.”

Will glanced at the pile of wood next to the fire – more than enough to last a whole day, and they weren’t even going to be here for more than a few more hours. Will opened his mouth to object, but Cubone placed its hand on Will’s arm. The Pokemon shook its head lightly with pleading eyes. The message was clear: let Nico go.

The crackling of the fire and the dancing flames kept Will’s mind from straying into the deep end. Easily, this was the roughest time he had ever experienced. He wondered what had happened to the Teddiursa, hoping that the fates had let it get away from those goons. Clearly the Teddiursa was important in some way; the collar meant it had escaped, and it was strong enough still to run away from danger even with paralysis. Exeggutor spores were no joke – a strong Exeguttor could immobolize a charging Rhydon.

But mainly, Will was worried about Nico. The past few days had been a challenge that had definitely put a strain on their relationship. At this point they were past talking terms, though Nico looked like he was trying his best to salvage what was left. Will wondered if any major damage could still be undone - Nico wasn’t easy to read.

Cubone eventually sat down closer to Will, resting its bone against a rock by the fire.

“I’ve messed up big time, haven’t I?” Will muttered.

Cubone turned its head on its side in thought. After a second, it shook its head in disagreement before turning back to the fire. Like Nico, the Pokemon was short-spoken. But Will appreciated the gesture nonetheless.

Nico didn’t return for another half hour, bearing nothing but a single twisted and stubby piece of wood that he carelessly tossed into the pile. He sat down against the back wall of the boulder.

“Whenever you want to go,” he said. Something about him felt off. Maybe it was just Will, but he felt like the monotony of Nico’s voice meant he had resigned to something. Of what, Will wasn’t sure.

After an hour, when Will felt slightly better, they began walking down the Route again. Arbor Town was their next stop, and with the promise of all the amenities and basic essentials of living, Will was anxious to get there. For everyone’s sake.

The remaining few miles swept by quickly – it felt like they arrived in no time at all. But in a cruel irony, Will wished it had lasted longer. As they approached the city limits, Will was coming up short on how to approach the situation. On how to apologize the right way.

The town was quaint and modest. Nothing flashy particularly particularly flashy stood out to him. The cabins that were visible in the light were impressively built. The craftsmanship of the woodwork was incredible. But Will didn’t care about that. He was looking for the familiar light of a Pokemon Center. He spotted it in the distance; the red roof and the LED-lit logo stood out like a sore thumb.

Entering the PokéCenter was oddly euphoric. The floor was actually firm, unlike the sloshy mud outside. The citrus-clean scent was more than welcome after so many earthy smells. And best of all, people.

“Welcome to the Pokemon Center,” Nurse Joy said. “How can I help?”

Will waited for Nico to answer, but he had his arms crossed and was standing to the side. Will sighed.

“Can we get a room to stay in,” Will said.

“Of course. One moment,” Nurse Joy said, tapping the screen behind the counter. “If I may, I can treat your injuries. I understand Route 10 can be unforgiving. It’s an especially difficult journey for anybody.”

Will glanced at Nico. Aside from the animosity that he was carrying now, he looked fine. Hardly a scratch, actually. “Yes, thank you.”

Will followed Nurse Joy as Nico headed to the room they were given. Nurse Joy patched him up with relative ease, partially due to the Chansey that helped her. He felt better in every way, and after a long shower, Will felt refreshed.

When he entered the room, Nico had already showered and was asleep in the chair in the corner of the room. Igglybuff was snoring on one of the pillows, and Cubone was asleep next to Nico. Disappointed, Will sat on the edge of the bed. He really wanted to talk. But it would have to wait until the morning – Will hoped the mood would lighten up by then.

Will felt guilty as he drifted off to sleep, realizing how petty he had been. The problems that had bothered him had been fixed in an instant, and yet the repercussion of his attitude still remained. Like a heavy cloud of Exeguttor spores.

 

~

 

Will awoke from the best sleep he had ever had, and every joint in his body felt sore. But it was a relieving kind of soreness, the kind that he got whenever he woke up after a day of hard work at the Daycare.  The PokéCenter’s identical rooms felt like home. Sunlight crept into the room through the window’s shutters, washing everything in the room with a soft yellow hue. The familiarity of it all was very comforting, putting Will in a chipper mood. His face felt not-broken, he felt clean, and Will felt ready to start the day by sleeping in just a little more.

Will covered himself in the sheets again, enjoying the peaceful silence of the early morning. The only noise came from the chirping and bickering of Fletchlings outside. Their melodic banter came in short bursts. It was nice.

He lazed around for another hour, drifting to and out of sleep. Everything and nothing in the comfort of pleasant civilization.

Will would have stayed longer, had it not been for Igglybuff. The Pokemon scared him half to death (Will was sure he would actually have died on any other previous day on the road) by jumping on him hard. For a Pokemon that hardly weighed a pound, it was surprisingly heavy when it wanted to be.

"Buff! Igglybuff!" the Pokemon exclaimed, whacking Will with a pillow.

Will buried his face into his pillow again. Sweet, soft pillow. "Pillow fight after a few more hours of sleep. You're gonna wake everyone else up." Will grumbled.

"Iggly. Buff!"

Will frowned. "What do you mean they're not here. Look, right over - oh."

He pointed at the empty chair in the corner of the room, which was worryingly void of Nico’s gear and backpack. Will frowned.

_'They're out and about already,'_ Will thought. _'This isn't new. He's probably scoping out the Gym or something. Happens all the time.'_

That’s probably what had happened, and yet the increasing panic in his gut forced him out of bed. Yesterday’s discussion was too fresh in Will’s mind, creating some doubt. He pulled on a pair of socks and shoes before rushing out the door, tugging his green jacket on. 

"Nurse Joy," Will said, skidding across the PokeCenter floor as he stopped in front of the desk. "You wouldn’t happen to have seen the person who came in with me have you? Black hair, aviator jacket and a Cubone?"

"I don't recall," Nurse Joy said. Will’s hopes sunk, forced down by confusion. "No one has passed through all morning. Let me ask the last Nurse Joy on shift, she was working the night shift."

Nurse Joy offered a short bow and walked into the back of the PokéCenter, past the treatment rooms.

Will tapped his foot impatiently, leaning against the counter. It wasn't good. Nico had to leave through the main entrance, so Nurse Joy would have seen him leave in the morning. If no one had come in or out all morning, then that meant-

"He left a few minutes shortly after you checked in, oddly," Nurse Joy said, hurrying back to her station.

The anxiousness in his gut dropped like a weight. He physically felt his stomach turn into a knot. There really was only one explanation as to why he would do that. "Did he say where he was going?"

"I'm sorry, no. Nurse Joy says he walked out without uttering a word."

Will took a regretful sigh, looking down at his feet. That was it: he was gone. There wasn’t any other explanation.

Will turned around slowly, heading out the door. The day was sunny and warm, the forest was a brilliant shade of green, and the sky was a pristine blue. Water dripped from the roofs of the buildings, onto the wet grass below. It should have been a great sight. But instead it felt like nature was mocking him. Igglybuff patted his ankle, looking up at Will.

"... What now?" Will said to no one in particular.

The forest didn't have an answer for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, I just got back from a road trip. Funnily enough, I drove by the kind of forests I was envisioning in my head for Route 10. It helped me get in the right mood, so double win!
> 
> Thanks for reading,
> 
> Cheers!


	12. Arbor Town

Hoppip flew in circles, spinning happily through the dandelion-speckled field of tall grass. The sun creeped up and over the trees, casting shadows from the east. The sky was perfectly clear. Not a cloud in sight.

Will let out a long, drained sigh, unsure of himself. Unsure about what to do, or if he should even do anything. An uncomfortable feeling churning inside him, occasionally making his gut do a flip or his chest feel tight. It made him queasy, panicky, and nervous. The sick feeling of insecurity.

“Where to now, Iggs?” Will murmured to the pink Pokemon sitting on his lap. In a rare moment, Igglybuff wasn’t acting itself. Where it would normally be joining Hoppip in playing around, Igglybuff only sat deflated, abstaining from anything even remotely enjoyable. The Pokemon even refused to eat, something that hadn’t happened in ten years, when Will had become seriously injured for some reason or another. The Pokemon didn’t even look up when Will talked to it.

The town, for as nice as it was, had lost its appeal immediately. Will had zero interest in any of it. The Berry Farm, a different kind of Daycare Center, the stores, none of it felt inviting. He wasn’t sure why; every town and city so far had had its own unique charm. The place just felt uninvitingly plain, to the point that it felt like he was intruding by being here.

“Let’s go,” Will said suddenly, getting up. He placed Igglybuff on his shoulder before calling to Hoppip. The Pokemon happily joined his side, blissfully unaware of anything that was wrong.

_‘Might as well look around for anything useful,’_ Will thought. A tip on where to find a long-distance Pokemon transportation service, maybe? _‘I wonder how much it’ll cost to get … to get home.’_

Will frowned. Even the idea of home felt uninviting. The idea of going back felt wrong now. It wasn’t where he wanted to be. Home wasn’t where he belonged. Will begrudgingly pushed the idea out of his head. It wasn’t like he could do anything about it.

Hoppip kept pace with him as he walked down the dirt road. The town was connected by a series of small roads, stomped out over many years of use. Old, creaky bridges went over small creeks and rivers. Arbor Town was made up of clusters of buildings few and far between, so the walks were long. The houses and shops themselves were quaint; there wasn’t a single thing special about them.

Will’s walk lead him to a shabby-looking path off the main road. He was thinking about calling Cecil when a shiny sparkle in the field caught his eye. Looking again, Will noticed a bright red stone among the tall grass. Strange. Out of curiosity, Will reached to pick it up –

“Stop!”

Will froze, looking behind him. An older trainer was running towards him with a worried look. She had long curly hair and striking gold-yellow eyes. So striking, in fact, that it threw Will off for a quick second. A short, purple Pokemon with jewels for eyes was following her.

“I’m sorry,” she said, running past Will and snatching up the red jewel from the ground, looking relieved. “You don’t want this. Sableye! I told you to stop doing this!”

The Sableye looked as sorry as it could be with a wicked smile and glossy, crystalline eyes. The trainer turned back to Will. “I’m Hazel. You must be a traveling trainer – did you come all alone through Route 10? It’s not a pleasant trip.”

“Um, no. I mean, yes and no.” Will said. “I did come through Route 10, but not alone.” Will wasn’t sure why he didn’t simply say yes to her question. It didn’t really matter.

“Oh, that’s good,” Hazel said, nodding. She pocketed the ruby in her back pocket, looking unfazed by the fact that it was a precious stone. “Are you going to challenge the Gym, then?”

Will shook his head. “No that’s – well, _I_ don’t challenge the Gym.”

“Ah, you’re a companion,” Hazel guessed. She seemed nice and willing to make conversation, but Will wasn’t in the mood for chitchat. She could, however, help him find a good way home, so he decided to entertain her. “Well, the Gym doesn’t open for another few hours. Where’s your friend?”

“I – I don’t know where he is,” Will admitted, his voice trailing off.

“I can help you find him,” Hazel offered, to Will’s surprise. “I know this town fairly well. I have to run errands, anyway. What does he look like?”

“Uh,” Will paused. “He’s … shorter? Black hair, aviator jacket, too. Has a Cubone with him.” Will sighed, shaking his head. “I don’t think we’ll find him.”

It might have been his imagination, but Will could have sworn Hazel perked up at the description, her expression changing with a spark of interest. Her eyes had a knowing look, anyway. “Nonsense. I’m sure we’ll find him.”

She started walking down the road but stopped. “I’m sorry, I never asked your name.”

“Will.”

Hazel stretched out her hand, nodding with a smile. “It’s a pleasure, Will. Come, if we hurry we can catch the breakfast special before we start looking. My treat.”

Will was grateful for Hazel’s generosity, but he extremely doubted she’d be of much help. She seemed to have a keen interest in him for whatever reason, and seeing as he had nothing better to do, or anyone to talk to, Will was willing to hold on to even the smallest hope of Nico still being in town.

Hazel was charismatic and outgoing. She kept up a lively conversation as they walked to the diner she had told him about. From the moment they started walking up until they sat down at a table, Hazel was able to keep Will from being too gloomy. Even the wait for the food didn’t seem like that long.

“You sound like you know a lot about Pokemon,” Hazel said, taking a sip from her drink. Tea was an odd choice for breakfast, in Will’s opinion.

“Well, I work at a Daycare back home. All I’ve done is take care of them and properly train them.”

“Oh, which Daycare?”

“The one in Helorus. It’s a bit out of the way, but we’ve always had good traffic come in and out.”

“Helorus? Now there’s a town I haven’t heard in a while,” Hazel said. “I used to go there a lot as a kid. It was a stone’s throw away from home, and the market was always fun.”

“Really? That’s awesome,” Will said, a bit more enthusiastically. It was weird how small the world seemed sometimes. “Where are you from?”

“One of the small villages outside the town, by Route 1. You know, those small congregations of homes that aren’t really part of Berge Town.”

Will nodded. He wasn’t all too familiar with them, but he knew those mini-villages existed. He never really went past Helorus’ city limits, or even past the forest in Route 2.

Will glanced at Igglybuff, who had hardly touched its food. The whipped cream was melting sadly into the pancakes, which were getting soggy because of it.

“C’mon Iggs, you love pancakes.”

The Pokemon looked forward with little reaction, leaning over the table.

“What’s wrong?” Hazel asked. Her own Sableye had long since torn its poor meal to shreds. Weirdly, it had pulled jewels out of nowhere and stuffed the food with them before eating it all. Will wasn’t sure if he should be concerned or not – he had zero experience with Sableye. A part of him wondered if it was cannibalism, considering Sableye had pieces of gems inside of it.

“We’ve had a rough few days,” Will said. “Maybe we should get going.”

Hazel agreed, paying for the meal before heading out with Will. The town was livelier now, with people walking around and going about their day.

“Well, let’s check the Gym first. Then we can head to the PokéMarts and then the Training Dojo. We can go to the Pokemon Center – I assume you’ve been there already – and then we can hit the local stores. It’s a pretty small town, if your friend passed by, someone will have seen him.”

Hazel’s confidence was so reassuring, Will’s hopes swelled higher.

“Thanks, Hazel.”

 

~

 

“So, tell me about yourself,” Hazel said as they walked out of the Gym. While it was still closed, Hazel had access to it. The staffers didn’t report anybody walking by with the intent of going in. “What motivated a Pokemon Breeder to leave their life’s work behind?”

“Ah, I’m not sure anymore,” Will said, glancing back at the Gym one last time. He was careful to avoid saying too much, or else risk falling back into a depressed stupor. “I kind of felt like I wanted to do something new. I guess I was just waiting for something to push me to do it. When Nico came along, it just felt right, you know? Oh, right. My friend’s name is Nico, by the way.”

Hazel smiled, and Will felt like he had just affirmed something that she had already known about.

“Let’s go,” Hazel said. “The Dojo is this way.”

 

~

 

The Dojo came up empty. The PokéMarts, the Berry Farm, and the local stores were also dead ends. Will wasn’t expecting anything from the Pokemon Center, but it was still disappointing when Nurse Joy shook her head apologetically.

Hazel sighed, fidgeting with a ring between her fingers. It was an oddly similar tendency to the one Nico had, Will noted. “Well, we can always try –“

“It’s no use, Hazel,” Will said flatly. “Listen, is there some sort of flight service or something that’ll take me home?”

Hazel looked confused. “Don’t you want to find Nico?”

“I do, but … well, I don’t think he wants me to find _him_. Or something. I’m not really sure,” Will murmured.

“I don’t think that,” Hazel said firmly. “No, definitely not.”

Her conviction was baffling, considering she hadn’t even met Nico. Nor had she been there with them throughout Route 10. Yet she seemed so confident. Will could have sworn she knew Nico personally.

“Is there any form of communication you have?” she asked.

Remembering suddenly, Will pulled out the small pouch that from one of the pockets of his sweaters. “I have these,” Will said, opening the pouch to reveal the feathers the shopkeeper Iris had given him a few days ago. It felt like years ago.

“Rainbow wings,” Hazel gasped, looking at the pouch like a pot of gold. “Of course! I didn’t know Iris was still selling these –” she quickly searched through her pockets, patting herself down. “I don’t have any prism scales, do you?”

Will ignored his own confusion, again wondering how prism scales were even viable, and how Hazel knew how rainbow wings worked. He must have really missed out on this growing up.

“No, I don’t,” Will said. “How are we supposed to get one?”

“Frank’s not here, no use in going there … the only thing we can do is to go and get one from a special Pokemon.” Hazel answered, thinking aloud as she rubbed her neck. She looked at the sky, seemingly wracking her brain for said special Pokemon. Finally, she pointed her finger up in victory. “Aha! There’s a Pokemon that has power over a mountain not too far from here. When we defeat it, it should offer us a scale.”

“Mythical?” Will asked. The confusion on his face must have gone unnoticed by Hazel because she ignored him.

“Here,” Hazel said, taking out a small tablet-like Monitor from her back pocket. She swiped and pushed buttons until a geographical map appeared on the screen, pinpointing their own location in relation to the mountain she was referring to. She stopped suddenly, realizing something. “Don’t you two have each other registered on your own Battle Monitors?”

“Well, uh,” Will said meekly, scratching the back of his head. “We never spend a lot of time away from each other, so I guess there was never a point to do that?” The move was so amateurish, it was embarrassing. In hindsight, it was foolish not to, and Will turned a bit red because of it.

Hazel chuckled. “I see. Well, let’s get a move on.”

They didn’t waste any more time, walking briskly to the outskirts of town. The mountain wasn’t too far, but it _was_ slightly out of the way past rugged terrain. Will hesitated at the sight of the uneven, jagged path and tree debris, but Hazel didn’t seem to be worried.

She took one of six PokéBalls from her belt. It was a sleek black color, with a gold casing and red highlights – a Luxury Ball. Tossing it out in front them, Hazel smiled. The PokeBall cast a bright white light that shimmered, revealing a Rapidash that stomped its hooves proudly.

“Rapidash will take us up the mountain,” Hazel said, petting the horse along its snout. The intense flames didn’t seem to hurt or even mildly bother Hazel, something rare, Will noted, because it wasn’t a common occurrence among Rapidash.

Most matured Fire-types could control their flames in such a way that it wouldn’t hurt their trainers. But Rapidash were so proud and stubborn, hardly anyone could earn its trust enough to get so close to it, much less ride one.

Will exchanged glances with Igglybuff, who looked mesmerized with Rapidash’s appearance. Hazel offered her hand to Will once she hoisted herself up onto the Pokemon. Will hesitated, looking at the way the flames seemed to roar wildly in an enraged dance. Gathering the courage and trusting Hazel, Will took her hand and hoisted himself onto the Pokemon. He flinched instinctively, but the flames didn’t hurt at all. They were comfortably warm, harmless wisps of fire.

Will didn’t have time to admire, however, because Rapidash broke into a run almost immediately. Will clung to anything he could grab as the Pokemon galloped at ridiculous speed. The hard bounces and sudden jolts was so mind-numbingly dizzy, Will shut his eyes and did his best not to fall off.

The ride ended quickly, and Rapidash stopped as quickly as it had started to run. Will lurched forward, feeling queasy. Hazel laughed, stretching out her hands.

“Ah, I love riding. How was your trip?” she looked back, her hair sticking at odd angles from the wind. Will probably didn’t look any better, because she laughed again. “Not the fast type?”

Will shook his head as he slumped off of Rapidash, clinging his stomach. “Give me a minute,” Will heaved, closing his eyes.

When he opened them, he realized that they weren’t standing in the forest anymore. They were at a cliff on the mountain that Hazel had told him about. Arbor Town was a speck in the distance, almost entirely concealed by trees.

“Did we – are we – how did we travel so fast?” Will stuttered out, pointing at the town weakly.

Hazel beamed, running her hand down Rapidash’s fiery mane. She took out a pouch from her coat pocket, offering the Pokemon a golden something. It looked like a Nugget, but Will wasn’t sure.

“The mythical Pokemon should be close by,” Hazel said, continuing to pet her Pokemon. “Imagine a looming cave or a stalactite-covered overhang. That’s my best guess.”

“You mean like that?” Will pointed at the dark entrance to a cave as he hunched over. “That’s pretty spot on.”

“Yes! Exactly like that.” Hazel said cheerily.

“Great. Just great,” Will muttered, finally standing up straight and rubbing the back of his neck. “Ready Iggs?”

Igglybuff popped out of Will’s bag with half-lidded eyes and a disoriented demeanor. “… Buff.”

“Good enough, let’s go.”

Will walked up to the mouth of the cave cautiously, trying to get a good look inside the cave. But all that he saw was pitch black darkness. He took a couple of steps into the cave when a rumbling shook Will to his core. A set of enormous, thick stalagmites grew out of the ground suddenly, blocking the entrance and only exit out of the cave. Will turned around quickly, trying to peer out.

“Hazel?” Will called out, panicked.

“I’m here,” Hazel said, meeting Will at a small gap between the rocks. “These Pokemon usually make a test of sorts out of this. You’ll be fine. Just find the Pokemon, defeat it, and this barricade should recede.” She sounded so calm. And she made it sound so easy. “I’m sorry I can’t go with you. I didn’t think that would happen.”

Will nodded, turning back around to greet the darkness. His old nemesis, the unknown.

_‘We’re going to get that scale and contact Nico_ ,’ Will told himself, trying to psyche himself up. _‘I’m going to pry it out of that Pokémon’s hands if I have to_.’

Will reached out to grab Igglybuff and brought the Pokemon forward, into his arms. The Pokemon compressed and decompressed its body quickly, like a button. The room lit up in a pink hue, letting Will actually see. It was as scary as it was big, stretching out like a field and probably hiding a host of cave Pokemon.

Will swallowed his fear and walked through the cave, looking everywhere he could. There didn’t seem to be a Pokemon in sight, mythical or otherwise. He continued his search, looking for anything that looked like it said, “I’m mythical! Fight me!”.

As he was searching, Will stumbled over a rock in the ground. He almost lost his balance, but he managed to catch himself. Irritated, Will turned around and kicked the stone, but it was too heavy to move.

“Dumb rock,” Will muttered, wiping away some hair from his forehead.

Suddenly, the ground began to rumble again, and that dumb rock began to rise out of the ground, becoming bigger. Will took a couple steps backwards, watching as the pebble turned into an enormous Pokemon before him.

“Golem,” the Pokemon hissed, turning to see who had insulted it. Its boulder was encrusted with jewels and rare metals, and its eyes were an abnormal gold color. If that didn’t say mythical, Will didn’t know what did.

Will’s immediate instinct was to run the other way, seeing as the Golem could break a stone cleanly in half with ease. But Will stood his ground, swiping Psyduck’s PokeBall and throwing it out. The Pokemon emerged in a flash of red light, standing as stoically as ever.

“Psyyy,” the Pokemon cried out.

“Psyduck,” Will said, pointing at the Golem. “Water Gun!”

The Pokemon stared blankly ahead, offering only a delayed blink in response. Golem roared and turned into a boulder, revving in place angrily.

“Not now,” Will pleaded, running forward and picking up the duck Pokemon hastily. He barreled out of the way as Golem rolled by. He set Psyduck down before reaching for Hoppip’s PokeBall, fumbling with the hook on his belt.

Golem smashed itself against a cavern wall, causing the whole place to shake again. Will’s grip on the PokeBall became shaky, and it slipped out of his hand, rolling away into a corner. Will cursed under his breath, tightening his grip on Igglybuff, who objected with a disgruntled “buff”. “Sorry, pal,” Will muttered, trying to come up with some sort of strategy. He didn’t want to put Igglybuff into the fight, because he really needed its light source.

Golem remerged from its rock form, focusing back on Will.

“C’mon, Psyduck. Water Gun!”

Psyduck stared ahead blankly, turning to look at Golem. Will hoped that was a sign, but was let down when Psyduck only blinked again. Golem charged at them with its arms raised, poised to attack. Will hoped against hope that Psyduck would do something, but when Golem was mere feet away, he snatched Psyduck up and turned away in a weak attempt at dodging.

Golem slashed at where Psyduck had been, barely grazing Will’s shoulder. It had only managed to make a tear in Will’s sweater. That seemed to knock Psyduck into high gear; Golem loomed over Will with ferocious eyes, but received a forceful stream of water to the face that knocked it backwards.

Will held his hand over the tear in his sweater, watching as Psyduck broke free from his grasp and faced the Golem. Golem shook its head in rage, wedging a sapphire free from its rock shell. The jewel clinked onto the ground before Golem picked it up and chucked it at Psyduck.

Psyduck didn’t move, but its eyes glowed a neon blue, stopping the jewel immediately with its Psychic. The rock fell to the ground again. The Water-type's tiny pupils continued to glow, however. The Golem seemed to be paralyzed, receiving some kind of psychic damage from Psyduck.

Will watched dumbfounded, completely enthralled in what was happening. Coming to his senses, Will looked around the cave for Hoppip. The PokeBall was stuck against a crack in the wall opposite to him. Psyduck launched another water attack, dowsing Golem in a heavy spray. Golem growled, leaning down on the floor, obviously worn down.

But it regained its stamina, stomping on the ground and making the ground shake again. _‘It’s got to stop doing that,’_ Will thought as he struggled to not fall over. From the ground, an army of Geodudes emerged, all with a similar jewel-encrusted body.

Psyduck began shooting spouts of water with repeated “psyyy”s. Will stumbled to his feet, recognizing that he didn’t have much time before Psyduck would become overwhelmed. He quickly dodged a Geodude as it tried to land a hit on him and clung to the cavern wall, hoping the other Pokemon would ignore him.

Will made it to Hoppip’s PokeBall, picking it up victoriously. Will turned around, and to his surprise, the battle ensued in a way he hadn’t expected. Psyduck was shooting jets of water and lifting Geodudes with Psychic, but was also _teleporting_ from place to place every time an opponent got too close.

_‘When did that happen?_ ’ Will thought. He shook his head, turning the PokeBall around in his hand. He threw it out, releasing Hoppip into the fray.

“Stun Spore,” Will called out.

Hoppip nodded, joyfully hovering above the Geodudes. With a quick shake of its body, yellow spores were scattered all across the cavern. Everywhere, Geodudes became paralyzed, standing in place. Psyduck made quick work of them then, blasting every Pokemon it could.

With a final blast, Psyduck launched Golem up against the cavern walls, knocking it out. The Pokemon remained dazed for a short time before shaking itself awake. Before Will could do anything, the Pokemon turned into a stone boulder and drilled itself into the dirt, leaving a shimmering thing behind.

Will picked the shimmering item up – a pair of prism scales, better than he could have hoped for.

“How’d it go?” Hazel asked as Will walked out of the cave, busily clasping his Pokemon back into place. Igglybuff cheered, holding its hand up in victory.

“Really well,” Will said. He held up the two prism scales in the palm of his hand, showing Hazel.

“That’s great!” Hazel said, nodding. “Let’s get back to town. From there you can use a feather, and we’ll be on our way.”

“Thanks, Hazel,” Will said appreciatively. “I’m not sure why you’re helping me, but I really am thankful.”

Hazel paused, looking at the sky in thought. She seemed to be mulling something over before speaking. “I know how hard it can be,” she said with a careful voice, as if there was more to what she was saying, “when people you care about … run away from a problem. And you looked lost, so I couldn’t leave you to struggle.”

Will pocketed the scales, a confused grin setting on his face. “That first part sounded vague, but I’ll take it.”

The Rapidash ride made Will just as uneasy as the first one. The Pokemon felt like it was going faster than before, but it could have been Will forgetting the full experience of the first time. Or maybe because they were riding downwards. He couldn’t tell.

They traversed a different path this time, at Hazel’s suggestion. “It’ll take a bit longer,” she had said, “but Rapidash needs the run.”

Down a rocky path and over a couple of boulders, Will bounced up and down on his seat. Unlike last time, he tried to keep his eyes open for the whole thing. Everything was a blur of sand-colored rock, brown tree trunks and green leaves. After a few minutes, Will could appreciate how fast they were going. His stomach still flipped, but it was actually really impressive.

He began admiring the view of a blurry scenery when he spotted something that caught his eye and jerked him to his senses. They swept by a familiar figure looking out into the forest, with a smaller Pokemon figure at its side.

“Hazel, stop! Stop!” Will yelled, tapping her on the shoulder.

Hazel glanced at him quickly before patting Rapidash along its mane. The Pokemon stopped in its tracks almost immediately, sending Will lurching forward. It felt awful, but Will didn’t care. As soon as he could, Will leapt off the Pokemon and began running back. He ran as fast as he could, peering at what he had just seen. But the sun was facing him head on, making it hard to see past the sunlight.

He ran until he was only a few feet away from the figure. A very confused and solemn looking Nico stood.

“Will?”

Will didn’t say a word, quickly hugging Nico tightly. Nico didn’t struggle; he stood awkwardly before placing a hand on Will’s back. After a moment, he returned Will’s hug.

“Will?” Nico asked after a moment “Are you in your pajamas?”

 

* * *

 

The fireplace crackled, flickering as the flames moved up and down. The shadows flickered alongside the light of the fire, the only source of light in the room. Night had fallen, and Will, Igglybuff, and Cubone had all retreated into the guest rooms for some much-needed sleep.

“I’m glad you made it here,” Hazel said, softly. She was sitting in an armchair much like Nico’s, only she was much more relaxed. Nico was sitting forward, his elbows pressed against his legs as he looked into the fire.

“Me too,” Nico said simply. He had a slight headache but otherwise felt okay, despite his posture.

“So?” Hazel asked, smiling and leaning forward with special interest. She was chipper and attentive, eager to hear his story, as always. “Tell me everything. How have you been? What’s it been like? Any new Pokemon?”

Nico grinned sympathetically, trying to recall the last time he saw Hazel. It had been a while for sure, and she was one of the few people in Nico’s life that he cared about. He wanted to share his whole journey with Hazel, who had long since gone on one of her own, long ago. She’d been through all of this, and at a much younger age than he was now. In fact, by the time she was his age, she had already finished her journey and had come back home.

He began to explain everything that had happened since he had sent that first letter to her, way back in Helorus, the first town Nico had stayed in. He went over how he met Will, how he had trained with him to beat Hestia, and how Will had caught up to him in the forest, telling Nico that he would travel with him. Nico talked about every Gym battle and every experience he could remember as the fire continued to flicker and crack in the fireplace, releasing embers that flew into the chimney above.

Nico finished his story half an hour later, having skipped certain parts that he didn’t want to detail right now. Strangely, as important as it was, Terras was one of the things he wanted to skip. He ended it with a vague description of going through Route 10, wanting to skip as much as possible of that particular part of his journey. Nico cleared his throat and turned to look at Hazel, who was sitting cross-legged in her chair. He then realized his story revolved a lot around Will, which was fair - he'd been there the whole time. But still, it was oddly incriminating.

“You’ve really matured,” Hazel spoke after a moment of silence. Her voice carried a careful yet determined disposition. “Only six months ago and you would have left for sure. What changed?”

Nico sighed, avoiding Hazel’s eyes. His step-sister had always treated him with respectful care. Not too careful, but also not too brashly. As if she was capable of being anything but nice. But she was always forward with him.

“I don’t know…” Nico said evasively, turning away from Hazel to look at the fire. Except he did know why he hadn’t left. It was an internal conflict that had haunted him for days.

He was never the best at facing his problems. Every solution to something had been to run away from it, especially emotional things. It was a tendency he was heavily inclined to when he was younger, and although it wasn’t something he actively did now, it was a force of habit.

And this particular problem was complicated to Nico. Somewhere along the line … well, he had started to care a lot about Will. About his safety and how he was feeling, though Nico didn’t know how to help whenever either of the two things did happen to falter. Nico first noticed it in Bellus, when Igglybuff went missing. And it had been growing since.

When Route 10 came along and everything started to plummet immediately, Nico panicked. He had wanted to help, but he kept making it worse.

_‘I slammed his face with a tree branch, for gods’ sakes,’_ Nico recalled.

Slowly, Nico had come to the realization that he was the problem – it was _his_ fault these things had happened to Will. The only logical thing to do was to _not_ travel with Will. Nico couldn’t entertain the idea that Will would want to travel anymore, anyway, because he had started to meet everything with an irritated frown by the end of Route 10. It pained Nico to see that, knowing that Will was normally a happy person, so he ran when he was sure Will would be out of harm. It seemed like a good solution to stop things from happening. If he wasn’t there, surely Will would go back home, and Nico wouldn’t have to put him through another Route 10 ever again.

And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to leave. It wasn’t what he wanted. He was torn between leaving for Will’s sake or staying for his own, because despite what Nico kept telling himself, he wanted more than anything to keep traveling with Will. Anything else felt wrong.

Nico explained this to Hazel, to a degree. In fact, he left everything out except for the fact that he thought it best to leave after the problems that came up on Route 10.

“I didn’t want to put him through more rough times,” Nico said. “He’d be better off if I wasn’t pushing him through all that. But I didn’t know how to tell him, so I … you know.”

“He thinks highly of you,” Hazel objected. She had clearly seen past his façade, knowing there was more to the story than he was letting on. “I don’t think he blames you, whatever happened. You should see the way he lights up when he talks about you.”

A scarlet blush crept onto Nico’s face. He glanced at Hazel, who had a small grin that she was trying to suppress. It was obvious she had pieced two and two together on her own. Especially if she had been talking with Will all day.

“Don’t,” Nico said meekly, turning away from Hazel.

Hazel looked at Nico with her bright, golden eyes. She smiled before speaking. “Nico, you’re giving yourself too hard of a time. Will can take care of himself, so you don’t need to worry so much. Did you know he went into a dangerous cave up on the mountain by himself to battle a Pokemon, just to get a prism scale so he could contact you?”

Hazel sat up straight, readjusting the cushion she was holding. “If he didn’t want to do all this, he would have left a long time ago, don’t you think?”

Her words resounded in Nico’s ears, a clinging spark of truth. Slowly, Nico agreed.

“I know,” Nico said, sighing. He’d been telling himself otherwise since the day before, when he had resolved his decision to leave. He’d been fighting against himself internally for more than 24 hours now.

Hazel smiled. She leaned back against her chair, holding the pillow closer. She was about to get up when she stopped suddenly. “Nico, it’s probably none of my business, but it’s rare that you … well, _care_ about somebody else. Not to butt in or anything, and I mean ... it’s your choice if you want to say,” Hazel rambled, becoming increasingly awkward with each word, as if she didn’t know how to say what she wanted to say. “but –“

“Hazel, please.” Nico pleaded, throwing his head back in embarrassment. He knew where this was going.

Hazel relaxed, getting up slowly. She walked over to Nico and gave him a hug. She offered a cheery good night before heading to the stairs. Before she took the first step, however, she looked down at the wooden floor, picking a few choice words. “You know, it’s obvious Will likes you.” She hurried up the stairs, leaving Nico alone in the living room, now barely lit by the smoldering remains of the fire.

Nico’s face grew hot as he slid further down into the armchair. After a long 24 hours in which he was miserable, not because Will had been acting irritable, but because he struggled between two choices and ultimately couldn’t choose either, he had finally given in. It was in part due to the talk with Hazel, which helped him clear his mind. He wanted to stay because somewhere along the line, he had started to have feelings for Will.

Nico stood up and smothered out the remains of the smoking embers with the fire poker by the fireplace. In total darkness, Nico silently made his way to the room he and Will were sharing.

Will was fast asleep, snoring lightly with his hand over his eyes, his mouth open. Igglybuff was sleeping above Will’s head, which Nico knew would give Will some serious bed hair in the morning. And to his surprise, Cubone lay sleeping at the foot of the bed, resting against Will’s legs. The Pokemon was curled up into a ball, pressed up against Will’s ankles.

Nico sighed lightly, sitting on the floor at the edge of the bed. He wasn’t tired in the slightest. Nico was used to sleepless nights, and now was no different. He could go all night without sleeping thanks to all the thoughts flying through his mind right now. And yet, within a few minutes, he fell into a deep sleep, his back pressed up against the side of the bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to take the time to say thanks for all your comments! I may not respond right away, but I look forward to reading them when I can. I super appreciate them!
> 
> Thanks for reading,
> 
> Cheers!


	13. A Few Minor Interruptions

Aron scampered across the yard, barreling over pieces of wood and rolling through patches of tall grass. Hoppip followed after it, but kept its distance; the Pokemon had already suffered the consequences of crossing paths with Aron’s overly joyful playfights.

The door behind Nico opened slowly, and Will came into view next to him, sitting down on the front porch of the house they were staying at. According to Hazel, it was the village elder’s house, and subsequently the Gym Leader’s house too, who was related by blood. Hazel had access to the house for some reason, though she didn’t tell Nico why.

Will held out a small mug of hot coffee. The brew smelled strong and earthy. “Since when do you drink coffee?” Nico asked, taking the mug.

Will shrugged, looking out at the two Pokemon playing in the yard. “Gotta try new things you know?” He took a single sip, made a sour face, and set the mug down next to him, clearing his throat “Nevermind,” Will said with a sigh.

Nico snorted into his mug, taking a sip as well. It wasn’t that great, he had to admit, but he stuck with it anyway.

“How are you feeling?” Will prompted, honest interest in his voice. He looked 100% back to normal, and his cheery charisma was settling back, too. His eyes had regained their usual chipper spark. Not that Nico knew what that spark looked like. Nope, definitely not.

He himself felt jittery and on edge, egged on by the butterflies that had settled into his stomach since the moment he woke up, nervous of what came next. Nico knew things would be patched up with Will, but that wasn’t what he was worried about.

“Great,” Nico said, ignoring the slight jolt that rushed to his head. “I just wish the night had more hours for sleep.”

“You know you could sleep in,” Will laughed. “There’s nothing to do today, anyway.”

“Nah, I’d rather be out here. The day’s nice.” Nico nodded to the clear, pristine skies. Free of rain clouds, the sun was able to shine its rays from behind the trees as it worked its way up the sky. The air was chilly with the morning cold, but otherwise, it felt like a normal sort of day.

“Psh, you hate this kind of day,” Will said. “But yeah, it’s nice.”

Aron hopped into a pile of mud, kicking it up and spraying it everywhere. A disgruntled Wooper appeared out of the pile, spouting jets of water in defense. Aron saw the Pokemon and jumped with joy, tackling it with so much force the Pokemon was knocked out of the yard, claiming the latest victim in Aron’s war against Woopers.

“Hey Will?” Nico asked.

“Hm?” Will replied, leaning against one of the pillars of the front porch.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know what I was thinking, and –“

Will held up a hand, telling him to stop. “You don’t need to apologize again. You should let _me_ apologize – you haven’t really given me the chance,” Will said with a shaky laugh. Nico had said sorry at least three times every hour, but his apologies hadn’t been that deep. He wanted to fix that.

Will leaned forward so that he was closer to Nico, his arms resting on his knees. There was a troubled look in his expression, despite the cheeriness that he put on. He took a deep breath before starting.

“Route 10 was rough. I don’t think I’ve ever been more miserable in my life. But _,_ that doesn’t excuse the way I acted. It just felt like, no matter how far we walked, it would never end, you know?” Will sighed, looking up at the blue sky. “I’m not very good at confronting problems head-on. I just let things happen, even if I don’t like where they’re going. So, I kept to myself all that time. Angry that the weather wouldn’t change, and that it kept getting worse. And you kept chugging along, completely immune to it all. I have no idea how a human being can be so resilient,” Will joked, but his heart wasn’t in it. He shifted uncomfortably, mulling over some thoughts before continuing.

“I just simmered, waiting for it to boil over. But it never did, and it got to me. I was a jerk. I know you were only trying to help,” Will admitted.

He looked uneasy, his eyes darting from one patch of grass to the next, and Nico was certain that he was realizing something he hadn’t before. It wasn’t until Nico cleared his throat awkwardly that Will spoke up. “You, uh, do you – I was wondering if … well, you actually wanted me to tag along anymore. I don’t want to hold you back or anything. I mean …”

Will’s voice faded. The forced neutral tone that poorly hid Will’s pained, defeated one shattered Nico to pieces.

“No! No,” Nico piped up immediately, nearly choking. “No, don’t think that. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I want you here as long as you want to be here. I left because I was being an idiot. I didn’t want to see you get banged up anymore. I thought if I left, it wouldn’t happen anymore. Stupid, I know. But I didn’t know what else to do. I want you here, I really do.”

A heavy silence followed. Nico wasn’t sure what was going on in Will’s head. When he couldn’t take it anymore, Nico added, “Looks we’re both pretty bad at dealing with our problems.”

Will gave a small laugh, still not entirely convinced. He began tapping his foot against the old stairs, which creaked slightly near the middle with each tap. The silence was awkward for Nico, trying to find words to say but coming up short. It wasn’t exactly his forte. But Will relaxed slowly as he accepted Nico’s explanation.

“Yeah, we are.” Will paused before adding, “Let’s agree to speak our minds more. If there’s something bothering you, you tell me. If there’s something bothering me, I’ll tell you. Deal?”

“Deal,” Nico said. He placed his foot over Will’s shaking one, saying, “That creaky stair is killing me.”

Will laughed, stopping his tapping. “See? Already working.”

Relieved, Nico looked out into town, but his mind was entirely focused on the fact that his foot was still on Will’s, and Will made no attempt to move it. In Will’s words, now felt like as good a time as ever. Nico cleared his throat, fidgeting with the ring he always carried with him in his pocket. “Listen, Will … I – “

Nico was interrupted by the door behind them, which opened briskly. Hazel appeared, sporting a dark blue jacket, a pastel green shirt, and black pants. Her hair was held up today. She froze in her tracks, looking between the two. Nico shot her a dirty look unintentionally. “Am I interrupting something?”

Will shook his head and stood up straight, greeting Hazel with a smile.

“When were you going to tell me you were Nico’s sister, by the way?” Will asked incredulously. Before Hazel could answer, Will turned to Nico. “And when were _you_ going to tell me you had a sister?”

“I didn’t think it was relevant at the time,” Hazel said.

“Ditto,” Nico added as he raised his hand. It had never occurred to him to tell Will.

“Anyways,” Hazel said before Will could follow up on their comments, “I just wanted to let you know that Frank isn’t in town, Nico. He’s the Gym Leader, so you’re going to have to wait until he gets back.”

“Fine by me,” Nico said nonchalantly, shrugging. He turned to look at the yard again, where Aron had managed to overturn a gnarled log. “I could stay here all week.”

Will seemed to brighten up at Nico’s comment. “Yeah, that sounds great.”

Hazel smiled, nodded, and turned back into the house. “I have some things I need to attend to – you know, with Frank being gone and all. But if you need me, you know where to find me.”

“Hazel, who is Frank to you, anyway?” Nico asked curiously.

Hazel paused for a second, faltering. “Never you mind,” she said, though her voice sounded amused but slightly embarrassed.

Nico recalled Aron after Hazel went back inside, and Will did the same with Hoppip. After a bit of discussion, they settled on simply touring the sights of the town. Nico didn’t even know what was in store since he had skipped by all of it in a rush the day before.

But Nico found it hard to enjoy any of what the town had to offer. He felt unsatisfied. The apology that he had been practicing all morning since he woke up at 5 A.M. had gone wrong. Well, it had gone well, just not as Nico had hoped. They had just ended up where they started: on the same terms as before Route 10. That wasn’t enough.

Yet the need to come cleanly on the _real_ reason Nico did what he did wasn’t enough to stop the knot in his stomach. He was nervous of admitting it aloud.

Will bumped his shoulder in an effort to get his attention. Nico looked up from the ground, which he didn’t know that he was staring at as they walked. “What’re you thinking about?” Will said with an amused grin. Nico caught himself before he could stare too long like an idiot and turned to look back at the ground.

“Nothing really,” Nico said, finding a particularly interesting rock to look at.

“Really,” Will said, unimpressed. “Well, ‘nothing’ looks like it takes a lot of thinking.”

Nico hummed a reply.

“C’mon, what happened to communicating? It hasn’t even been twenty minutes.”

“Really, it’s nothing. I’m just thinking of something … important to me. I’ll tell you when I’ve thought it through,” Nico said. The answer was vague and evasive, but Will must have understood the truthfulness behind his words because he didn’t say anything.

Their walk led them back to the Pokemon Center near Route 10’s side of town. Nico suggested that they check out of their room and gather the rest of Will’s things since Hazel had offered them space in that other house. It didn’t take long, and soon after Nico found himself standing at the front of Arbor Town’s Daycare, the next stop that Will wanted to go to.

“Looks kinda … simple,” Will said, taking in the sight of the building. Its wooden walls looked older than the rest of the town, and the sun had washed away the color of the green roof. This place had been here for a long time.

“What about it?” Nico asked, guessing what Will was going to say. Probably something along the lines of, _‘It’s missing flourish, something to catch the person’s eye. Y’know, like a sign or something. It looks kind of sad, otherwise_.’

“A sign, for one. It looks kinda sad without it. Like it’s missing energy.”

Nailed it.

“Don’t let them hear you say that,” Nico said as he opened the door slowly. He heard Will grimace under his breath, probably because there was a lack of a ringing doorbell when the door opened.

Behind the counter sat an elderly looking woman. She was sitting calmly as she read a paper on the desk, but otherwise hardly moved.

To their right was a large room, blocked off by a waist-high gate. The corral-like room held a dozen or so Pokemon, which bounced around the room lazily. Nico recognized a Mareep, a Bonsly, a Jigglypuff, and a Roggenrola. The rest were ones he hadn’t yet seen before.

Igglybuff immediately hopped off of Will’s shoulder and climbed the white fence, looking into the room with glee.

“You can enter,” the old woman said gently from behind her desk, evidently looking up from her paper for the first time since they walked in. “These Pokemon behave themselves with people.”

“Thank you,” Will said, nodding at the Daycare lady. “How are you today?”

“Oh, very fine. Thank you for asking. I must get on with the morning routine,” she huffed, sounding weary. Nico wondered what it was like to have so much work and be so old.

“I can help,” Will offered as he gave Igglybuff the go-ahead. The Pokemon hopped into the pen, where it began socializing. “I’m a trained Pokemon Breeder.”

The woman smiled but shook her head. “I can’t ask that of you, young man.”

“You don’t need to ask, I’m offering,” Will countered smartly, to which the woman smiled even more broadly.

“Alright, alright. My husband is in the back – about to get started I expect.”

Nico followed Will past the double doors at the furthest end of the room, giving the old woman an awkward nod. The old woman simply gave a smile as she turned back to her paper, an edition of the Olympia newspaper.

“This’ll be fun,” Will said excitedly, looking around the enclosed field where the Daycare’s main charges were. Concealed by a combination of trees and tall wooden boards that surrounded the field’s perimeters, it was hard to see the rest of town. It made an enclosed sanctuary of sorts. A large shelter sat in the middle of the field, laden with bundles of hay and bedding. “You can wait here, Nico. It’ll take a little while.”

Will pointed to the steps of the porch they had just stopped off of. Nico sat down, watching as Will disappeared around the corner of the house. A few minutes passed by as Nico sat in silence with Cubone, who had taken a seat next to him. He could hear distant discussion where Will had gone.

After a bit, Will reappeared carrying a bag of Pokemon food, towards the shelter in the middle. “Over here?” Nico heard Will ask someone around the house. It must have been the old woman’s husband.

“Yes, yes. There’s a row of feeders over there.”

And so it began, Will going about his business, moving things around, replacing supplies, and restocking on water and food back and forth, looking pleased. At one point Will took his sweater off and tied it around his waist before continuing.

_‘Has Will always been so … fit?’_ Nico asked himself as Will passed by once more with a barrel looking … flattering, to say the least. Doing this kind of work every day would get you there. Nico averted his eyes as his face grew hot. The way Will’s shirt clung to his body like that when he worked wasn’t doing Nico any favors. Gods, he was hopeless.

Will looked so happy as he worked, humming tunes as he did his things, interacted with Pokemon, and sorted out the bedding.

A wave of anguish washed over Nico suddenly, cast by the tiniest shadow of doubt in his mind. _‘He looks so happy,’_ Nico thought, mulling it over again in his head. _‘I took this from him … didn’t I?_ ’

It was true. This was the life Will had known before Nico came along. The fact that he seemed to be enjoying it so much was proof that Nico had messed it up and had taken away something Will found legitimately enjoyable. And for what? So that he –

Cubone tapped his ankle with its club, looking up at Nico. Nico refocused his attention to Cubone. The Pokemon seemed to be following his thinking process and shook its head once. It was never much for talk, which was fine with Nico since he was the same way.

Nico gave a reluctant smile, muttering, “Thanks, pal.”

He dismissed the thoughts as baseless ideas, looking out into the Daycare’s field. Will passed by again, this time leading a Tepig to the shelter with food. His heart skipped a little. It should have been illegal for people to look that good while they worked. Pretty soon, Will was done with the work, looking thoroughly pleased.

“Hey,” Will said, sitting down next to Nico on the porch. “All done.”

“Hey,” Nico echoed. “How was it?”

“Oh, it was great. I kinda missed it, to be honest. The work, I mean. There’s something really rewarding and familiar about it,” Will said fondly, but hastily added, “Not that journeying with you isn’t rewarding! I mean, I like _you_ way more than Daycare work – “

Nico sniggered. “Will, it’s fine.”

Will shifted in his seat, muttering, “Heh, I should get you to laugh like that more often.”

It felt right. The timing, the mood, it felt right.

Nico cleared his throat before he could think better of the situation. “You know, I really –“

Before he could get any further, though, a ball hit Cubone in the face, though it bounced off harmlessly. It did, however, break Nico’s confidence and ruined the moment. Will stopped the ball and tossed it back towards the trio of Pokemon that had been fighting over it. The Pokemon returned back to their play right.

“What did you want to say?” Will said, turning his attention back to Nico.

“I, uh, nothing,” Nico said, scratching the back of his head.

Will frowned slightly in confusion, but didn’t push any further. They headed out of the Daycare shortly after. Will collected Igglybuff from the indoor pen and thanked the old lady for letting him work for a little while.

“No, thank you,” the old lady said. “What’s your name, young man?”

“Will. Will Solace,” he replied.

“Thank you, Will. If there’s anything I can do, let me know.”

And with that, they left the front steps of the Daycare, back into the rest of Arbor Town.

“It was a nice place,” Will said thoughtfully. “Though they only admit one Pokemon per trainer. The Daycare man told me. But at least the nutritional diet wasn’t that bad.”

“They’re old,” Nico rebutted, slightly deflated but still wanting to humor Will. “What did you expect? I bet you it would have taken the old man all day to do what you did in an hour.”

“I’m pretty sure they get by well enough,” Will said, though his pleased smile betrayed his dismissive tone. Igglybuff hopped up from its perch on Will’s shoulder, nodding it’s … head? Body? Nodding its body in agreement. “Thanks, Iggs.”

 

* * *

 

 

Nico was acting strangely. Everything had gone back to normal, better even, but still, Will couldn’t help but notice that Nico was tense. But at the same time, he was more easy-going. It was hard for Will to explain.

Nico was more open than ever – generally in a good mood, joking back with Will, even continuing conversations with well-meaning banter. Their relationship had hit it off way more than before, giving Will that much courage when he dared to take the joke just a little step further, and Nico would reciprocate with the same amount of enthusiasm. It made Will’s heart swoon and skip a beat, but he had to constantly remind himself that whatever this was, it wasn’t what Will thought. That much was obvious because Nico would constantly look either worried or bothered after one such interaction. And if he needed more evidence, he had it: only less than 24 hours ago, Will was certain he’d never see Nico again.

And yet if anything had come out of this, it was that Will was deeper in than he thought. The tugs on his heartstrings that he had first felt when Nico walked into Helorus had turned into something much, much bigger. Gods, he was screwed.

They arrived at the Berry Farm at half-past noon. Will was in a good mood, despite the fact that his stomach was doing backflips. The farm was small, containing only six rows of berry trees. Will expected as much, because berry trees were incredibly efficient at producing large amounts of berries.

Igglybuff rushed forward, but Will caught the Pokemon just in time.

“Not yet, Iggs,” Will said, nodding over to the small stand to their right. “You gotta buy them first.”

“I’ll pay,” Nico said almost immediately, already reaching for his wallet.

Will raised his eyebrows. “You don’t have to. I’ve got enough to get a good amount of ‘em, and – “

“Will, I’ll pay,” Nico insisted.

“Nico, you really don’t ne-“

“Solace,” Nico said firmly. “Can’t I buy you something?”

Will paused and then nodded, pleasantly surprised at Nico’s generosity. But the gift-giving would have to wait: before Will could utter a word, the man standing dejectedly behind it stopped him. He looked bored, putting Will off.

“Sorry, kid. No berries until those trees are free of pests. They’ve been eating the whole harvest, y’see,” the man pointed lazily at the trees, which shook slightly if Will stared for long enough.

“Don’t you have stock or something?” Will asked.

The man simply shrugged, clearly not caring about anything. How could he sit there like that? Will would bet a couple dollars that the man could have gotten rid of the pests a long time ago.

“If I get rid of them, will you sell us your berries?” Nico asked, his attention entirely on the trees.

“Nico,” Will whispered to him, “You don’t have to do anything for this guy. He’s kind of a slouch, anyways.”

“No, I’m going to get you your berries. And maybe we can find a rare Pokemon in those trees. You can have that, too,” Nico said firmly, nodding to a pair of Combees circling the nearest bush.

“Oh. Okay.”

“So is it a deal or not?” Nico said as he turned to the man behind the counter. The man looked affronted at first but then snorted. How anyone could be so passion-less about what they did was beyond Will.

“Sure. Just be careful around my trees.”

Eugh. Will hated him already. And his "deal" was a rip-off. But Nico didn’t seem to care about the man, instead turning his attention back to Will. “Want to help?”

“Uh,” Will looked back at the man behind the counter, who had gone back to not paying attention. He really, _really_ wanted to not help the man in any capacity. But at the same time, he wanted to help Nico. “Sure. Hoppip could use the exercise.”

They were off in only a couple of minutes. Hoppip and Murkrow worked together from the skies – Hoppip would agitate the pest Pokemon with Stun Spore while Murkrow picked them out of the air one by one. When Murkrow’s hits weren’t enough, Hoppip attacked with Razor Leaf to finish them off. Will became so enthralled in their task, he forgot about the grumpy worker behind the counter.

As waves upon waves of Pokemon jumped out of the trees, intent on overstaying their welcome, Will found himself enjoying battling with Nico. Hoppip and Murkrow complimented each other so well in a double battle, and Nico always seemed to know how to work with Will’s choices. It almost turned into a game, trying to get every Pokemon before they could escape. There were narrow misses for sure, but that only made it more fun. By the end of it, Will’s body was pumping with energy, adrenaline coursing through him.

As the last Beautifly bit the dust, Will couldn’t help but sigh. They took a seat in between one of the rows to catch their breath from all the strategizing and talking, which was more work than it seemed.

Nico seemed to be having just as much fun as Will. “Have I ever told you how good you are at battling?” Nico said, his voice a mix of exhaustion and admiration. “Like, really good.”

Will reddened, laughing. “I’m not that good. You’re just saying that.”

“No, I’m not,” Nico said with a wave of his hand. “I mean it. The way you handle yourself in battle, the thought you put into the next move, using strategy over strength. It’s – _you’re_ incredible.”

If his face was feeling hot before, he was burning now. Will shrugged off his jacket, hoping to pass it off as heat exhaustion or something. He’d never heard Nico talk in that tone of voice. One of completely impressed admiration. His heart must have skipped three beats.

Will tried to say something, but fell short. Instead, only an exhausted laugh came out. Nico didn’t seem to care though. He looked lost in some distant thoughts.

“Hey, Will,” Nico started. “I kind of wanted to tell y –“

He was cut off by a wild Combee that had popped out of the tree behind them. Will grabbed Nico by the shoulder and moved him without thinking. The Pokemon narrowly grazed Nico’s shoulder as it flew away, leaving them back in silence.

“What were you going to say?” Will asked, hopeful that it was something important. Maybe why he was acting so weird.

“N-nothing,” Nico said, hastily looking away, the admiration in his voice gone. Damn Combee. “Let’s go get your berries.”

The berries were expensive for what they were. And to Will’s irritated surprise, the man had a hefty stock of berries in his shop. But Nico paid for what an assortment of berries and pulled Will away before he could utter a word.

“Where to?” Will asked, still looking back with a stink eye at the Berry Farm.  Nico shrugged, kicking a pebble out of the way. Will’s anger quickly dissipated. “Hey, are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yeah. Just tired,” Nico muttered. “If there’s nothing else you want to do, I kind of want to go back now.”

His defeated tone didn’t help his case, and Will had half the mind to give him a reassuring hug. But he was also worried that Nico might be thinking of bolting again, despite what he had said in the morning, and Will didn’t think he could handle something like that again.

The sense of worry washed over Will as they walked back into town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, 100k words ... that's a lot. I need to go back and rewrite that first part because man, re-reading it makes me die a little inside. At least I'd like to think I've improved since then ^^
> 
> We all know what's coming soon. The universe can't throw interruptions at Nico forever.


	14. Training, Again

_“Are the preparations ready?” a powerful voice muttered, patience thin and anger rising._

_A smaller, pathetic voice quickly answered, “Y-yes.”_

_“Good. Proceed as planned, and do not fail me again,” the first voice said. She had taken on a somber tone, the anger slowly draining. The pitch-black room echoed her words, making everything sound much more menacing._

_There was a pause before the woman spoke again. “I sense … a Pokémon’s psychic presence. A potent power. I wonder …”_

_Silence fell again, and only the nervous breathing of the second person could be heard. And then came the sound of shuffling, like drapes against the ground. The sound was weighty and slow._

_A burst of earthy yellow-green light flashed, followed by the pungent smell of rotting vegetation._

* * *

 

 

Will jolted forward as he woke, knocking Psyduck off of his lap. The smell of decay had gone, but his vision burned with the after-effects of the green light he saw in his dream. His breath was uneven as if he had been running for miles.

_‘What happened?’_ Will thought. _‘Where am I?’_

And for a serious second, Will couldn’t remember what he was doing under the shade of this gnarled tree that oversaw a field of wildflowers. Everything seemed so unfamiliar. But he quickly remembered: it was the middle of the day, and they had decided to go train, seeing as they hadn’t done that in a long time. Nico was somewhere in that field of flowers when Will had dozed off. He wasn’t now, so he must have wandered into the forest or something.

But the dream?

Will did his best to recall it, although there wasn’t much for him to work with. He remembered voices in a pitch-black room, followed by that weird flash. And despite it being a dream, Will could physically feel the sheer power of the blast, whatever it was. He was still feeling the effects of it now. And Psyduck … Will looked around.

The Pokemon lay face down on the ground. It must have fainted, but why?

Will scurried over to the Pokemon on his knees, picked the Pokemon up and then turned it around. He plucked out the wads of grass shoved in its open beak, pulled out a Max Revive from his bag, and applied it to the Pokemon. Almost at once, Psyduck woke up at full health, its dilated eyes staring blankly ahead at nothing.

“Psyyy.”

The Pokemon gave no further indication that anything was wrong. But Will’s brain was working overtime, piecing together faint bits of memory from so long ago. He’d had this dream before. The same voices, the same pitch-black vision. Only it had happened at night when he was sleeping, and Psyduck had been standing over him. Will could faintly recall seeing two tiny, glowing pupils staring at him when he woke up.

“What was that?” Will demanded, utterly confused. “What was that dream?”

Psyduck blinked, its eyes unmoving.

_‘Are the preparations ready?_ ’ the woman’s angered voice echoed in Will’s head. What did that mean?

“Will,” Nico said from next to him, but Will was so lost in his thoughts, he almost jumped out of his skin. Nico jumped a little too before taking a seat next to him. Cubone and Igglybuff followed, taking plopping down on their respective sides. “I didn’t mean to sneak up on you like that.”

“It’s fine,” Will said. He wasn’t really paying attention, his mind still trying to wrap itself around the dream. It was infuriatingly difficult to put a finger on why it was bothering him so much. It _was_ just a dream, after all.

“You okay? You sound … distant,” Nico prompted.

“Fine, just … I had this weird dream. It’s – it’s probably stupid,” Will admitted, already dismissing the idea. He was making a fuss over nothing.

Nico ignored him, waving it off. “It’s not. Dreams can be important.”

Will hesitated, mulling over the finer details in his head. “Well, it’s not much of a dream. I couldn’t see anything, but there were two voices talking, and … you know, this is kinda dumb, we should –“

Will tried to get up, but Nico held a firm hand on his shoulder, stopping him. Surprised, Will let Nico pull him back onto the ground.

“I promise you it’s not stupid,” Nico said firmly, keeping his hand on Will’s shoulder. He quickly let go after a second, apparently realizing it. It seemed to throw him off track, but his confidence quickly recovered. “You know, I have a reoccurring dream. It’s a … memory. A horrible memory from when I was a kid that I wish I’d forget. But I have it and it’s important, for good or for worse.” Nico’s expression was stiff now, concentrated on something distant. “If you think it’s important, then it is.”

Will was torn between feeling sorry, feeling deeply appreciative that Nico would confide something like that to him, and feeling a profound sense of gratitude. So instead, he stuttered.

“I – well, um. Sorry – I mean, thanks for … that,” he heard himself say, the words becoming a garbled mix. Slick.

Nico only nodded along slowly. Will took the moment to untie his tongue before continuing.

“That sounds like a lot. Um,” Will paused, still coming up short on a proper follow-up. Thankfully, Nico interrupted.

“It’s fine, you don’t have to say anything. But if you want to talk about your dream…” Nico gestured for Will to continue.

He didn’t want to simply pass over Nico’s bit about bad memories, but Will couldn’t really find a proper way to transition into it. He made a mental note to come back to it later, just in case.

“The dream,” Will began, “I feel like it’s the second time I’ve had it, but different. Both times, it was a woman’s voice. Tired, but powerful. Like … like her voice resounded through me, you know? It’s not like I’m there, though. More like I’m witnessing it happen, except I can’t see anything.” Will found himself remembering vague segments of the original dream, like pieces to a puzzle that was largely incomplete. “Both times she was angry. The voice, I mean. And … ordering someone to do something, like a mission. Some people foiled the plan the first time. But in this last one, it sounded like the plan hadn’t happened yet.”

Nico didn’t say anything, still waiting for Will to finish. He didn’t seem to think Will was being ridiculous, or that what he was saying taking crazy dream his brain had made up too seriously. In fact, he seemed to be listening earnestly.

“The last dream ended weird, though. The woman, she sensed something. A Pokémon’s energy, I think. It almost felt like she noticed I was there? And then there was a flash of light, like an attack of some kind, and I woke up.” Will finished, more confused than ever. The last part sounded so odd for a dream. Like it had happened in real time. As if Will had actually been there, eavesdropping on something he wasn’t supposed to hear.

Again, Nico said nothing. Only this time he was deep in thought.

“It might not be a dream at all,” he said suddenly, thinking aloud. “Maybe they’re visions.”

“Visions?” Will echoed.

“Yeah. Something that’s happening somewhere right now. ‘Pokémon’s energy’, you said. I’d guess she meant psychic power, but how –“

Nico stopped as both he and Will turned to look at Psyduck at the same time. The Pokemon stared ahead blankly, completely disinterested in what they had to say.

“You don’t think?” Will asked, unable to finish his question. It made sense. It would explain why the Pokemon had been on top of him, and the thought of tiny, glowing pupils could only be linked back to it.

“Yeah, I do.”

Will frowned, and for the first time since meeting the Pokemon, he wondered what the Psyduck _was_. A Psyduck, obviously, but it had come out of nowhere. It followed them through thick and thin, persistently pestered Will for attention, and it let itself get caught without a single struggle. Coincidentally, the Pokemon stopped escaping from its PokeBall days later after it presumably gave Will the original vision. He was pulling at straws, but it was the best Will could do.

It was strange.

“I want to ask Hazel about this,” Nico said. “It could be important.”

“Hazel went out,” Will reminded him, rubbing his eyes. They itched for whatever reason, like tiny specks of dust prickling his vision.

“I know. Keep a cool head, okay?”

“Aw, you _care_ about me,” Will said amusedly, although slightly annoyed that the itch in his eye didn’t go away. He rubbed harder.

“Or don’t,” Nico said rolling his eyes and giving him a light shove. “Cubone’s on the verge of leveling up, and Aron’s got a little while before growing another level. Are you going to stay here, or you want to come with?”

“I’ll be here all day if I have to,” Will said, falling back onto the grass. “Take Iggs with you again. Gods know you need the healing.”

“Ay ay, captain,” Nico said with a sloppy half-salute. “Are you sure you’re gonna be okay?”

“Positive, matey,” Will pointed finger guns at him and winked, his right eye twitching as the weird itch persisted. At least the pirate jokes were good.

Nico shook his head. “Just don’t die. I kind of need you alive.”

“Oh, for what? Sacrifice?”

“It’s hard to care for your wellbeing if you’re dead,” Nico said as he turned around to head back into the woods. “Who would I dedicate my companionship to then?”

“Iggs is a solid replacement,” Will said, smiling despite himself.

Nico glanced at Igglybuff, who cheered with a fist-pump. “Doesn’t have the right charm.”

Will was left to feel giddy warmth form in his cheeks as Nico walked away. The last comment about charm really struck a chord with him. As Nico disappeared into the forest with Igglybuff and Cubone, Will turned his attention to other things now that he was alone. Alone with Psyduck. The Pokemon sat exactly where Will had left it.

“So … Psychic-powered visions, am I right? That’s cool,” Will said lamely. Truth be told, Will was a little put off by the Pokémon’s power now.

“Psyyy.”

“… You wouldn’t happen to know who that voice is, do you?”

“…”

“Cool. Just wondering,” Will said, lightly tapping his foot subconsciously. It didn’t seem like worrying would do much good. With no context to the visions and little to no details to go on, it was pointless to try and piece anything together. Besides, he didn’t want it to get in the way of the thing he had going with Nico – they were having really good back-and-forth energy today.

The silence between him and Psyduck, who wasn’t very good company to start with, was a little too much for Will. He was in the mood to help Nico train.

Will recalled Psyduck into its PokeBall and journeyed into the woods. It didn’t take long to find him. All he had to do was follow the noise of battle.

Will walked up to Nico and leaned against his shoulder, looking at the battle in front of him.  Murkrow was doing a great job at defeating Nuzleafs. The Pokemon were attacking from every direction one at a time, but Murkrow seemed to have a good control of the situation.

Will offered an adventurous smile as he approached Nico, saying, “Hey.”

“Hey yourself,” Nico said, nodding to him. “What’s up?”

Will shrugged and sighed, looking as Murkrow took out a second Nuzleaf on its own. He was glad to see Nico’s team growing so well. They were in good shape, their strengths had become refined, and each had a distinctive battle style. Aron was a work in progress, but they’d get there. With that kind of team, Nico would surely make it far.

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” Nico insisted, “Is that dream still getting to you?”

Will waved him off with a half-hearted gesture. “I’m fine. It’s just … wow, we’ve come so far, huh? It feels like yesterday that you walked through the Daycare’s doors to ask for help training. Now we’re half-way through the region, and your Pokemon are doing so well.”

“You’re not half-bad yourself, you know,” Nico added, “You’ve made loads of progress, too.”

Will took the compliment, leaning in closer to Nico. He felt comfortable doing so, and Nico didn’t seem to mind.

“What did you think of me?” Will asked. “When we first met.”

Nico didn’t immediately reply. “I thought you were kind of weird. I couldn’t believe that anyone would be able to do anything with a bag of berries and an Igglybuff, of all things.”

“Wow, thanks,” Will said sarcastically.

“No problem,” Nico replied.

Will straightened up and took out his Monitor from his backpack. It booted up automatically, flashing to life with an immediate run down of Murkrow’s stats and growths.

_‘Good growths in speed, a nice boost in attack power, good stamina,’_ Will processed, sifting through the numbers. He looked up. Murkrow’s fighting style was one of an opportunist. Unlike Cubone, who had developed a brutish, upfront style, Murkrow was passive until the moment was right.

Good thing, too: with a lackluster move pool, there weren't too many options to choose from.

The irritating itch in his eyes was back, and this time Will tried his best to ignore it.

“How’re we doing?” Nico asked, eyeing the stats on Will’s screens.

“Pretty good, actually. You’ve helped Murkrow develop a particular fighting style, using its speed as the defining trait. Good for cleaning up weakened Pokemon and all that,” Will explained.

“And the bad?” Nico said expectantly.

“Ha, you knew it was coming. Murkrow’s going to lose a lot of that agility factor when it evolves since Honchkrows have a bigger body than Murkrows do, so being well-versed in this particular style will only make things harder later. Plus, one of Murkrow’s abilities is Prankster, so you could afford to focus more on defense,” Will couldn’t help but chuckle at the irony.

Nico shook his head, clicking his tongue. “First, Cubone was too defensive, and now Murkrow’s too offensive? I’d be lost without you.”

Will offered a weak and awkward laugh as he averted his eyes elsewhere, not knowing what to follow up with. His witty jokes could only get him so far, and Nico was really laying down the compliments. Each one slowly melting his weak heart.

_‘Get it together, Solace,_ ’ he chided himself. _‘It’s not like we’ve only been traveling together for months or anything.’_

But boy was Nico really pushing it lately. As if he knew what buttons to push and when to do it.

Murkrow bailed him out, though, as the Pokemon flew onto Nico’s shoulder, carrying an item in its beak. The Pokemon dropped it into Nico’s open palm.

“Smoke Ball,” Nico said, holding it up to the light. The small marble contained a storm of swirling mist inside, like a miniature crystal ball. A Nuzleaf must have dropped it. Smoke Balls were rare drops on any Pokemon, so Murkrow simply must have beaten so many of them that it got one eventually.

Nico pocketed the item in his bag, casually asking, “Want to help train? You’ll have my eternal gratitude and all that.”

“Uh, sure. Let me just, uh – Iggs, where’d you go?”

“Buff?”

The Pokemon was standing next to him, looking perplexed. Had the Pokemon always been there? He had hardly noticed.

“Right,” Will said firmly. “Well, uh, first let’s go through Murkrow’s move set. Prankster activates with status moves, but a good Pokemon can activate the ability with quick versions of attacks. Sort of like disruption attacks. And even thought Honchkrows don’t have Prankster to aid them, an experienced one doesn’t have to rely on the ability anyway.”

Will had helped Nico train the first time they met by guiding Nico on Cubone’s attack form. It wasn’t particularly difficult. But Murkrow needed a challenge which involved a lot of pressure.

“Here’s the plan. Hoppip will be the opponent, but the aim isn’t to knock each other out. Try and direct Murkrow so that you interrupt attacks but still keeping safe.”

“I thought you said more defense,” Nico said.

“Well, yeah. This kind of attack is aimed towards staying safe rather than doing damage.”

“Fair enough.”

Will released Hoppip from its PokeBall and the training began. Hoppip was a great sparring partner, being able to spam projectile attacks that weren’t necessarily powerful.

Nico gave Murkrow commands to follow, mainly avoiding and dodging said projectiles. Murkrow’s natural speed was a big plus here, but it wouldn’t help the Pokemon activate its ability.

“Start off with status moves, they’ll help set the pace,” Will called out, watching Murkrow spiral downwards and away from a set of Leech Seeds.

Nico did so but to no real effect. Murkrow’s delivery was standard speed when they should have outpaced Hoppip and caught it off guard. They tried again and again, but each Haze and Confuse Ray attack failed to activate Prankster.

“It’s almost reactive, Nico, like a counter. Juke the attack and interrupt it, don’t just go for the attack, Murkrow.”

They went over it again, and again. Murkrow was good at dodging attacks, but Will could see that the Pokemon couldn’t seem to execute its moves the way it was supposed to.

After what seemed like hours, Murkrow was only able to produce a spark of blue that signaled the activation of Prankster, but that quickly petered out. Will sighed, trying to figure out a better approach. But he found none. And everyone looked so tired, he decided to call a time out. Nico had been thinking along the same lines, because he did so at the exact same time.

The day had become stuffy and humid, the trees trapping some of the heat under the blanket of the forest. Will’s hair clung to his forehead and his shirt stuck to him from the humidity. He sat down on a particularly soft-looking patch of grass.

“There’s some progress,” Will said in the hopes to cool Nico off. His short patience wasn’t going to help after seemingly no advancement just now.

“It’s fine. We’ll get it right soon enough,” Nico outstretched his hand for Murkrow to land on as he sat down unusually close to Will. The Pokemon was breathing with its mouth open, tired from the routine it had just gone through. “Got any of that not-Energy Root stuff from the first time? You know, the one you had the first day we trained?”

“Psh, no. If you want that, we’re gonna have to walk all the way back to Route 3. Totally worth it, right?” Will shook his head, laughing at the idea that Nico would remember such a menial detail like that medicinal root. Those roots came from a tree past the Daycare, which Will had discovered had revitalizing properties when he had gone through his “natural medicines” stage in life.

“Ah, well. We should go back some time.”

“Good one,” Will waved him off, not thinking twice about it.

The forest consumed the silence with the rustling of leaves, the cracking of branches, and the calls of wild Pokemon before Nico spoke again.

“It’s almost the holidays,” Nico looked at him with determined eyes, “it’d be good to head back for a while.”

“You’re serious,” Will said, sitting up just as quickly as he had laid down. “You’re not kidding.”

“No. I think we could use the break.”

“You, Nico di Angelo, want to take a break? Are you feeling alright?” Will made an attempt to feel Nico’s forehead, but Nico deflected it half-heartedly.

Nico rolled his eyes. “I’m not _that_ bad.”

“I know. I’m just surprised. We’ve made it so far, I thought you would want to keep going while we were still ahead.”

“I’m glad to go anywhere with you,” Nico said matter-of-factly.

There it was, the one-liner that killed him. The seven words that shot him straight through the heart. It was Nico’s most daring one yet, and the implications that Nico was trying to lead him on made Will dizzy with hope. But it really wasn’t that, Will knew that for sure. It was just his brain interpreting things the wrong way.

“Um, we should get back to training,” Will coughed. He cursed at himself for deflecting the conversation in a different direction.

“Nah, let’s stay here.”

Okay, now that was weird. Skipping the opportunity to train and battle? Something was amiss. “I know I was joking before, but are you really okay, Nico? You’re acting … weird.”

“Fine. Just, it’s been a weird few days,” Nico retrieved Murkrow’s PokeBall and recalled the Pokemon, securing it back to his belt.

Will completely understood. The situation two days ago was so jarringly different from yesterday. And the same was true for three days ago, and even then, a whole week ago seemed like such a different time that it felt like it had been years.

“How’re you feeling about those dreams?” Nico asked.

Will shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s freaky stuff for sure, but I’m not sure I want to waste time worrying about it. What if it’s nothing, you know?”

Nico hummed in agreement but didn’t look like he was through with the matter. The sun was starting to disappear behind the horizon and the orange sky began transitioning to a dark midnight color. But Nico didn’t move, and neither did Will.

“This is the part where you say ‘let’s go back’,” Nico said.

“Haha, what?”

Nico gestured to the sky. “That first day on Route 3, you wanted to go back before the sun went down.”

“You’re being oddly nostalgic today,” Will raised an eyebrow, looking at Nico suspiciously. “This is the part where you’re out in the grass, training and battling everything you can lay your eyes on. Yet here you are,” Will retorted, “enjoying the setting sun. Are you _sure_ you’re Nico di Angelo?”

Nico held up his hands in a sarcastic, ‘I don’t know’ gesture.

_‘Nico di Angelo, you’re acting really weird,’_ Will thought. _‘What’s with you?’_

 

* * *

 

 

As the sun went down and the Volbeat came out to glow, Nico shifted in his spot on the ground. The night sky was breathtaking, its sea of stars glistening down on the region. The glow and dance of Volbeat through the woods made for a pretty sight, like a festival of stars within the forest itself.

The air felt like it was thick with tension to Nico, who felt a nervous pressure in his gut.

“You know how I said I thought you were kinda weird when we first met?” Nico asked vaguely.

“Vividly. It’s made its way to the top moments of complete betrayal.” Will said sardonically, rubbing his eyes. He had been doing that a lot since Will told him about that dream. “Never forget.”

_‘Well, here goes nothing.’_

“I stand by what I said,” Nico said. “But you kind of proved me wrong as we trained. My overall impression at the end of the first day? You were reliable, smart, good at what you did. I admired your dedication to raising Pokemon and how much you cared. You weren’t full of yourself but stood by what you knew. I was happy when you said you wanted to join me, even if I wasn’t showing it.”

Nico was really trying his best to set the mood. But Will was so oblivious, he would just shyly drift away just when Nico was close to getting where he wanted to be. He’d been at it all day, setting up compliments and the like. It was really out of Nico’s ball park on things he knew how to do, but the gods would be damned if he didn’t at least try.

He’d done everything. Jokes, awkward attempts at compliments, everything.

“Your turn,” Nico said. “First impressions of me.”

He remembered Will being a stuttering mess when Nico first walked into the Daycare, but he had dismissed it. Now, though, he had a pretty good idea as to why he had acted that way.

Will’s smile faltered, his face growing a light shade of red. It gave Nico the impression of someone getting embarrassed over getting caught. “Ha, uh, you know. Like, impression-ed.” Nico raised an eyebrow, and Will cleared his throat, recomposing himself. “I thought you were … cool. And strong, and … you know, that’s really grown over time and …”

Will stopped suddenly, avoiding Nico’s eyes. He bit his lip before taking a breath. His playful spark turned into one of shy honesty. Nico’s heart sped up, knowing what was coming next.

“Um, I’ve been meaning to tell you, Nico. After all that’s happened I thought I should give it a shot. I … well,” again Will stopped. But this time he seemed to think better of it. “Never mind. We should head back.”

Will made an attempt to get up. But Nico didn’t want to dance around it anymore. He wanted to get past the games, the flirty passiveness that made Nico feel jittery. And this was as close to “the right moment” as he was ever going to get. He wanted it _to be_ the right moment so badly, it made his chest hurt now that it wasn’t. But that wasn’t going to stop him.

Nico stopped Will, grabbing him by the wrist. There was no way this day would end any other way. His heart pounded in his ears. Without much thought and out of frustration, Nico pulled Will in close and kissed him.

Will stumbled into it. It was a little hasty and not at all the way Nico thought it would go. But it was what Nico had been looking for, if not a lot more. He didn’t care. His heart jumped to his throat as Will went from surprise to shocked realization at what was happening.

All Will could say was “oh” when they finally parted. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

“I, uh, guess you could say I admire you a lot,” Nico said, his face burning up.

Will still looked like he was trying to catch up on what had just happened. His eyes darted to different parts of Nico’s face. “… Admire isn’t the word I’d use,” he hugged Nico tightly and kissed him again, eagerly this time. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.”

Nico wanted to enjoy the moment, the cathartic feeling of relief, but he was all too aware of a pair of big eyes staring at them.

Igglybuff stared at them with a keenly interested look, swaying from side to side as it pulled grass apart. Its gaze felt eerily creepy for the first time in a long while, and Nico backed away from Will, his face burning more from embarrassment.

“Iggs, stop staring,” Will said sheepishly.

Out of the corner of his eye, Nico could see Cubone resting against a rock, its eyes closed as if pleased. The Pokemon feigned sleep, but Nico knew the Pokemon was only giving them privacy.

 

* * *

 

 

Will slept peacefully until the itching in his eyes started up again. Irritated, he sat up.

He was back under the tree from earlier in the day, where he had woken up after that horrible vision-dream thing. But something was horribly wrong.

The forest was silent. The wind had stopped blowing, and the clouds overhead had blocked out the sun. The green pastures around him seemed to be wildly overgrown, like weeds that couldn’t be contained.

_‘What’s going on?_ ’ Will thought. He was more confused than freaked out.

“Nico?” Will yelled into the forest.

_“He cannot hear you,”_ a woman’s voice said. Her voice reverberated throughout him, quietly yet full of power.

Will looked around frantically, trying to find where the voice had come from. But it seemed to be coming from everywhere, a wicked, resounding sound that shook Will to his core.

_“You were foolish to meddle in my dealings, boy. To think that I have had to_ waste _my time on the likes of a measly_ child of Apollo. _’_

 “I haven’t done anything,” Will whispered, incapable of saying anything louder. The flimsy strength of his voice reminded him too much of the second voice in his dream, making him feel sick.

_“A stroke of misfortune, perhaps.”_

“Who are you?” Will asked.

_“You will soon know my name,_ ” the voice said simply. An echoing, hair-raising laugh whistled through the grass as if the earth itself was laughing. The world smelled of rot, the earth turning vile and putrid.

Will woke with a start, sweat dripping from his forehead.

The dark room greeted him, an uncomfortable silence pounding in Will’s eardrums. Nico was steadily breathing beside him, his hand brushing against Will’s own. Will calmed down, sitting up on the bed carefully.

But he had no time to think. No sooner had he started wondering what the dream was about when an immense explosion burst through the house, shattering the silence. A harsh rumbling followed, shaking the whole world beneath Will. The picture frames on the wall shook, the walls creaked violently, and the small pieces of the ceiling fell.

Nico woke up, immediately reaching for Will’s hand as the shaking subsided.

“What was that?” Will asked in a low voice. Igglybuff and Cubone immediately rushed to their sides from the corner of the room.

“I don’t know,” Nico said, sleep laden in his voice.

A few minutes passed before Hazel came running into the room, her appearance disheveled like she had been running all day. She looked shaken and wide-eyed.

“There’s no time. Come, quickly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've gone back to rewrite the whole first part, and I've already gotten started. There shouldn't be anything too major of a change, just updates on grammar, story hints, and general clean-up. The first four chapters have been revised already! 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading!
> 
> Cheers!


	15. First Confrontation

The sulfur infiltrated Nico’s nose and overcame his senses as he ran. The smell was heavy and pungent. The sky had become illuminated with a fire-like glow, all emanating from an enormous black smoke stack in the sky.

Hazel had sent them to an abandoned part of town called Old Arbor. The fire was coming from a temple in the center of town.

“The temple’s been disturbed – it was the explosion,” she explained. Before she had run into Route 12 to try and get Frank, who was probably most of the way to Arbor Town already, she had cautioned him. “Be careful, Nico. We don’t know what is at work here. The last time a temple was attacked …” her voice trailed off as she shivered.

So Nico found himself investigating Old Arbor, carefully going from house to house to avoid attention. It was slow work, but Hazel had very clearly emphasized patience and avoiding confrontations. It was torture for Nico because he wanted to burst in running and fight anybody who would stand in his way.

The town was abandoned, a ghost town that resembled a husk of its former self. Buildings were in varying states of decay, covered in foliage and eroding slowly.

The source of the fire was only a couple of blocks down now. In the distance, Nico could see the silhouettes of people running around. His breath hitched and he pulled Will by the hand towards some cover.

“Through here,” he said, pointing at an open gap of a shoddy brick house. Will nodded and they climbed through, landing right in the middle of what Nico assumed was a living room. The house looked lived-in, with pop cans littering the floor and documents stacked along the worn tables. A green sofa against the back wall looked like it had recently been slept in, and the door to the porch had been slammed open.

Nico walked towards one of the tables and picked a paper up. A small sticky note was plastered onto the front, which read:

 

Temple Investigations

Runes empty, void of Azelf and evidence. Building in state of decay. Further investigation needed; report progress on the discovery of hidden chambers. Note: League activity increasing in recent days, make note.

 

The paper itself continued for several pages with a series of symbols Nico didn’t recognize. They were creepy, with eyes incorporated to each symbol in some way. His eyes hurt just looking at them as if they were trying to make sense of the letters but failing. He put the paper down, figuring that the rest would be similar. It looked like whoever these people were, they had been here for a while. Tonight just so happened to be the night they made a move on this temple and “Azelf”, whatever that was.

“Nico, look,” Will held up a rough drawing that was in the same style as the symbols Nico had just seen. “It’s a Pokemon, I think. I’m just not sure which one.”

The Pokemon in question had a triangular head with a circle on its forehead, a small body, and two tails. Below it were more symbols, followed by what Nico presumed was the translation written in pen: “Willpower is strength among those willing to use it”.

Nico frowned, clicking his tongue. “We better be careful.”

They exited the house and snuck across the street, getting a closer view of the people up ahead. Nico squinted through the brightness of the fire up ahead from behind a windowsill. The people were dressed in dark brown clothing, accentuated by dark green shirts. It almost looked like – Nico let out a noise of anger as he recognized the “T” embroidered on their backs.

“Terras!” Nico growled, a little too loudly.

Will pulled him down by the collar, whisper-yelling, “What are you, crazy? You’re gonna blow our cover!”

Nico covered his mouth, but it was too late. Over the windowsill, he heard, “You hear that? Check it out.”

“Eugh, fine. The Gym Leader ain’t even here. Who’s it gonna be?”

Nico looked from one side to the other before pushing Will to the right and into the entrance of a house with a rotten door hanging on by a single bolt. The footsteps of the Terras grunt got louder and closer. Nico gestured for Cubone to follow and crouched against the frame of the door.

The grunt only took a couple steps by the door when Cubone jumped around the corner and delivered a held-back hit against the grunt’s head. Nico stepped into the doorframe and lunged forward, catching the grunt before he fell to the ground, unconscious.

“What’d you do that for?” Will whispered angrily.

“We need to get into the temple,” Nico whispered back.

“No, we don’t!”

“Yes, we do,” Nico dragged the grunt into the room and placed him against the wall behind the door, out of sight. “Can you get Hoppip to use Sleep Powder?”

Will gave him a wary look as he unhooked the PokeBall from his belt and released Hoppip. Thankfully, the flash of light wasn’t too distracting, and Nico was sure it wasn’t visible from the other grunt’s line of sight.

Will held up a finger to Hoppip to quiet it before it made noise, and then pointed at the unconscious grunt in the corner of the room next to Nico. “Sleep Powder.”

The Pokemon sprinkled a few spores on the grunt. Instantly, the grunt’s face contorted from knocked out slack jaw to a clumsy, pleasant smile.

“I swear this is some spy movie stuff,” Will whispered as he recalled Hoppip back to its ball. “Now what?”

Nico jumped to his feet and went to the next room, where the windows looked towards the fire. He could see now that the fire was burning through a hole in the roof of the destroyed temple, reduced to a corner of its former self. Three groups of grunts stood stationed, each a respectable distance away from each other.

Nico returned back to the room where Will sat, Igglybuff on his backpack now. The Pokemon looked unfazed by it all, as if nothing was happening. Nico called Murkrow out quietly, and the Pokemon perched itself atop the molding door.

“I need you to make a distraction,” Nico told it. “There’s Volbeat in the woods. Startle them, get them to create some sort of diversion with their lights.”

The Pokemon took flight immediately, leaving them alone in the room. Nico hoped that Murkrow would be quick since the other grunt would start to question his partner’s absence soon. At the same time, he hoped there were still enough Volbeat left in the woods to create a sizeable commotion. The explosion might have scared them off already.

Will wandered over to him and squat down next to him. He looked nervous but determined, a brave glint in his eye. “I don’t see what we earn by going into the temple, but I hope it’s worth it.” He reached for Nico’s hand and squeezed it. Nico was deeply appreciative of the gesture.

A small thought popped into the back of his mind. _‘You’ve caused this,_ ’ it said. _‘You’re going to willingly put both of you in danger._ ’

And for a good few seconds, Nico faltered. Why was he going into this temple? The temple that was so clearly the worst place to be in in the midst of explosions and cultists?

There was a flash of light from within the forest in the distance, followed by a stream of lights flying out into the old town. Nico squinted to see Murkrow flying at the front of the light stream, followed closely by what seemed like thousands of Volbeat.

Murkrow dived in between the groups of grunts standing guard, knocking them over and spreading chaos as they tried to escape the enraged Volbeat.

“Okay, now’s our chance,” Will said, signaling to go. And before Nico could truly process it, he was following Will into the fiery inferno, confused at Will’s sudden motivation.

 

* * *

 

 

Will was running on a high. Of what, he had no idea. Stupid courage, maybe.

They safely made it into the remnants of the temple. The fire seemed to be completely contained within a large bronze brazier. It was burning uncontrollably, though, the flames jumping past the roof and into the night sky. It was unnaturally bright for what it was. Even weirder, the brazier seemed in mint condition. In fact, it was the only thing that looked even remotely untouched by the explosion; everything in the temple was either blown out or knocked over.

The flame’s burning light made it hard to see anything and the heat was burning Will’s skin. But from the looks of it, there were no grunts stationed here.

Strange glyphs covered what was left of the walls from head to toe. Will had never seen them in his life, but he found himself being able to read them as easily as he could read English.

“Man’s greatest tool, the willpower to overcome. Conflict creates strength and strength fuels humanity. War is key to honor and greatness,” Will muttered, reading the inscription on the wall to himself.

How could he read it, though?

The center of the room had an enormous hole in the middle, evidently blasted open by the explosion.

They hopped down, careful of making too much noise. The room they found themselves in looked somehow even more ancient than the ruins above them. The stones that the passageway looked loosely placed and threatened to crumble from a harsh movement. It was a miracle it hadn’t simply caved in from the explosion. Some of it had, as evidenced by the landslide of rubble blocking one exit out of the room.

Cubone led the way into the only passageway left for them to go through. It seemed to lead below the temple in a spiral downwards with a slight incline. The bluish bricks depicted ornate engravings of various Pokemon that Will didn’t recognize alongside people who looked important. One such drawing depicted a large dragon-snake thing alongside a two-legged monster and a marine-dwelling Pokemon. Three men stood in the middle of the Pokemon.

Another showed a bulky, fierce looking man leading a group of warriors into battle; at the head of the charge was that same small, triangular-headed Pokemon from the piece of paper in the abandoned house. The inscription at the bottom read, “Willpower”.

Next to it was a woman wearing a helmet, holding a shield in one hand and a spear in the other from inside a Parthenon. Next to her was a dome-shaped Pokemon, similar in body shape and size to the triangle-head Pokemon from before. The inscription here read, “Knowledge”.

The last one had the inscription of “Emotion” and depicted a woman rising from the sea. She was accompanied by another small, two tailed Pokemon.

Will was very interested in the drawings, but his attention was pulled away when Nico interrupted the silence as they walked.

“We can go back, you know,” Nico whispered. His face was stern, worried, even. “I’m not sure why I brought us here.”

“No. This has been a long time coming. I can’t stand to see these idiots running around anymore. I have a feeling this is big,” Will said. The dream, of course, was his “feeling”. Now he knew that the woman and Terras were connected.

Nico seemed resigned.

The dark hallway seemed to get darker as they walked, to the point that Will could barely see two inches in front of him. An eerie echo bounced through the walls. He felt like the darkness was suffocating him. But he didn’t care – they had to keep going.

A woman’s voice echoed through the darkness, distant and faded. “We are running out of time. Soon, one if not more Olympians will detect a commotion.”

Will didn’t dare breath as he took light steps forward. His hand found Nico’s and he gripped it tightly. The hallway opened up into a poorly lit room. Thankfully, a large pillar blocked them from view as they entered.

Clearly, there was a lot of people in the room, because footsteps echoed and rebounded off the walls. It was starkly different from the empty hallways and ruins. The orange lights from the torches cast a variety of fast-moving shadows across the walls. Will pressed himself up against the pillar, beckoning Nico to do the same.

The vague smell of rotting plants filled the room, making Will feel dizzy. His heart felt like it was about to burst out of his chest. But he didn’t feel afraid. He felt dangerously calm. The movement of all the grunts stopped as a weird warping noise burst out suddenly. The lights of the torches dimmed.

The slow, dull sound of heavy drapes on stone followed. Will had the distinct impression that the someone was walking forward, even gliding.

“A son of Apollo and a son of Hades. What a strange combination,” she said, her voice full of malicious mirth.

Will’s heart stopped.

“I must admit, I was certain you would not come. Apollo’s spawn are weak, too passive to engage in conflict.”

If that was supposed to be an insult, Will was lost to it. Nico’s eye twitched slightly, annoyed over her remark. But Will was more concerned over why she kept referring to him as Apollo’s son.

_‘What does dad have anything to do with her? How does she know I’m even related to Apollo?’_

Nico made an attempt to stand up, but Will held him back. She was trying to bait them, obviously. A mix of curiosity and cautiousness was eating away at Will, though. So close yet still no face to put on this mysterious, sleepy voice.

“And … ah, Hades’ only son,” her voice was dreary and slow. “What a pleasure to see you again.”

Again? Will furrowed his eyebrows, looking at Nico. His expression was equally confused. She was simply trying to bait them out, no doubt about it.

“How amusing. You will meet the same fate as your late sister.”

It was all Will could do to keep Nico from jumping out and lashing out. The room’s light was dimmer at her words, a faint pallid green glow painting the walls. He struggled to keep him there as grunts ran past them and into the corridor, fear in their eyes. Nico broke free and stood out in the open.

“What do you know about my sister?” he said, voice dripping with anger.

Will peeked out from the side of the pillar. The sight before him was terrifying.

The room was actually pretty big. In the middle stood a tall hooded figure surrounded by a group of Roselia. The torches against the wall flickered violently, casting rapidly moving shadows across the stone floor.

Will couldn’t see the face behind the hood, which looked coarse and brown with clumps of green patches and thin fibers sticking out. She would look serene, like a nymph of sorts, if she wasn’t already so malefic-looking. Her voice, so powerful and full, didn’t look right coming from this … hooded person.

The woman simply laughed, turning around. She waved her hand for a moment before taking a small red stone from a pedestal in front of her. The torches on the walls reacted violently, flickering and exploding into a neon green color.

“Farewell, Olympian spawn,” the woman turned back around, holding the stone to her chest. She began glowing green, and Will couldn’t stare much longer. He knew what was coming next. He grabbed Nico from the sleeve of his shirt and tugged hard.

Nico barely made it back behind the column before a flash of earthy green light showered the room. It felt like they had been thrown into an oven.

Will sat in complete silence, still holding Nico tightly. The deafening silence was numbing. When nothing else came, Will looked past the pillar.

There was a pile of dirt where the woman once was. The Roselias around her looked unharmed but were covering their eyes in pain. They twisted and writhed before going slack, revealing a feral look on their face.

“Nico!” someone called from the corridor behind them. Hazel came running in with someone new who Will didn’t recognize. “What happened?”

Nobody had time to explain anything. One of the Roselias launched itself forward, roses poised to attack. Cubone intercepted the attack, hitting the Pokemon with its bone and sending it flying against a wall. Hazel looked surprised but quickly snapped out of it, sending her Sableye to join in the fight.

Sableye summoned various gems and precious metals out of the ground and shot them at the group of Roselias. The Roselias countered with a barrage of Razor Leaves that canceled each other out. The new guy, who Will assumed was Frank, threw out a PokeBall that released a charging Tauros, shaking its head angrily. The Pokemon barreled through the Razor Leaf attacks, absorbing them without a care in the world. It even caught a few of them in its mouth to chew on.

As Tauros rammed into a Roselia and used a Stomp attack, the new guy crouched down next to Will and offered a clumsy handshake. “Frank,” he said simply.

Will nodded but was too preoccupied with the battle unfolding before them to reply with his name. Cubone was locked in a tight battle against a Roselia that was sparring with the thorns of its rose. The two exchanged parries and scrapes as they battled across the room. At the same time, Sableye was battling two Roselia at once with some dirty tactics, using the shadows to its advantage before striking and interrupted Roselia’s attacks with small gems that it summoned from the ground.

Tauros was struggling: the Pokemon was too slow to land any direct hits on the evasive Roselia. And without the element of surprise, the Roselias were giving it a hard time.

“Ditto, Braviary!” Frank called out, and for a second Will was confused as to why he would name two random Pokemon for no reason.

But the Tauros understood, and it shape-shifted into the form of a Braviary, spreading its wings before flying to the roof before diving down on the Roselia.

No matter how skillfully the Pokemon battled, the Roselia didn’t seem to let up. The single Roselia was slowly overpowering Cubone, and Sableye was having a hard time keeping up with the two it was fighting. What’s more, Will’s monitor didn’t seem to be able to gauge the Pokémon’s health at all – it was like fighting in the dark. Cubone’s health was dangerously whittling down to a fourth of what it used to be, even with Igglybuff’s constant healing with Heal Pulse.

“We need to get out of here,” Will called out. “On the count of three, we make a break for it back to the temple!”

With Hazel and Nico’s approval, Will began counting. “One, two, thr- “

The Roselia fighting Cubone suddenly lashed out, hitting the Pokemon squarely in the stomach. Cubone was sent flying back, hitting the floor with a thud.

“Cubone!” Nico called out, an intense sense of determination in his voice.

And then something strange happened. Cubone seemed to recover from its injury upon hearing Nico’s voice, its eyes glowing with fiery anger directed directly at the Roselias. In one quick motion, the Pokemon struck the ground hard, cracking the stone floor with so much force that the whole chamber began shaking. A fissure opened up as the room rumbled, debris falling from the roof.

The fissure engulfed the Roselia. Sableye took advantage of the other Roselia’s surprise and slammed the two Roselia it was fighting into the fissure. The remaining Roselia hissed but retreated into a corner.

The fissure closed instantly, but the room didn’t stop shaking. The debris falling from the roof were larger now.

“Let’s go!” Hazel yelled, pointing at the corridor.

Will helped Nico pick Cubone up and secure him onto his backpack before joining Frank and Hazel, who had both collected their Pokemon. They ran as fast as they could, but the whole corridor seemed to be collapsing. Igglybuff clung for dear life, threatening to lose its grip.

They ran into a collapsed part of the hallway, leaving them in a dead end.

“What now?” Will asked, panic in his voice.

“Frank! Ditto!” Hazel yelled.

“Right! Right,” Frank fumbled with his PokeBall, taking too long to take it out. Finally, he called out a purple blob-like Pokemon. “Alakazam, Abra, anything!”

Ditto’s poker face rivaled that of Psyduck’s, albeit with a pleasant smile, and Will worried that the Pokemon was going to be unresponsive as well. But Ditto didn’t hesitate, shifting into a small Abra.

Abra flicked its tail right as the hallway collapsed.

When Will opened his eyes, they were standing in front of Arbor Town’s Pokemon Center. Will could still hear the echo of the crumbling hallway in his ears. They stood there for a moment, unmoving and at a loss for words. It had been too close.

The fire had died down, if the lack of smoke and light was anything to go by, and the smell of sulfur had died down, though still present.

“I’m gonna go throw up,” Will pointed to the Pokemon Center, noticing that his finger was shaky.

 

* * *

 

 

Nico felt tired and drained, not wanting to do anything but sleep for two days straight. He was simmering, furious and confused that the lady, whoever she was, seemed to mock him with information on … Bianca. He wondered what that was about. The woman seemed to know him pretty well, but … how could she have?

And what had she called him? A son of Hades.

Nico didn’t know what to think about that. He’d never known his father. The woman had called Will a son of Apollo, as well. And besides being furious that she would call Will weak, Nico felt confused as to what it could all mean. “Apollo” sounded familiar, but he couldn’t recall where he had heard it. As for Hades? No idea.

Nico recounted everything that had happened up until Hazel had shown up. They were all sitting in the living room of Frank’s house now.

Hazel looked grim by the end of it.

“What did this woman look like?” Hazel asked. Her voice sounded nervous, ready to betray her at a moment’s notice.

“She was hooded, so I couldn’t really see her. But she was wearing a cloak that looked like dirt, almost. And there was a smell of rotting plants, I think.”

Will nodded.

If Hazel looked bad, she looked worse now.

“They took a stone …” Frank said, “You don’t think they took one of the sources of power?”

“Of course they did, the temple’s brazier died out,” Hazel said breathlessly. “There’s no power left in the temple.”

“Hazel, what are you talking about? Do you know who this woman is?” Nico asked.

“Not directly, no. I’ve only heard about her second-hand,” Hazel looked at Frank, who looked uncomfortable in his seat next to her. He was very fidgety. “If she looked the way you said she did, she’s still very weak. But if she’s stolen one of Azelf’s sources of power, she’ll go after the rest of the temples, too.”

Nico shifted in his seat, irritated. “Who is she?”

Hazel and Frank looked at each other, having a silent conversation. “Gaea, or at least an extension of herself. She’s probably too weak to travel on her own.”

“Who is Gaea?” Will asked from beside Nico.

“She’s … well, she predates the Olympians. I’m not sure what her patron is, but she derives power from the primal Earth itself.” Hazel closed her eyes. “If it really is her, we need to talk to the others.”

“We just got here,” the Frank protested.

“Frank, this is serious. We need to go to the League,” Hazel stood up, pacing the room. She had her hand stuffed in her pocket while the other clicked nervously.

“Hazel, that’s all well and good, but what’s an Olympian?” Nico asked.

The question seemed to offend Hazel. “What?”

“Like I said?” Nico said slowly, confused.

“… You know what that is,” Hazel said cautiously, as if trying to convince him that it was true. When Nico didn’t react, she frowned even more. “Chiron … didn’t tell you?”

Annoyed at Hazel’s evasiveness, Nico shook his head. “Hazel, it's been a rough night. If you’re not going to tell me –“

“I can’t believe Chiron didn’t tell you!” Hazel suddenly burst out, her cheeks becoming flushed with anger as she jumped out of her seat and started pacing the room.

_‘Oh no,’_ Nico thought. _‘Here it comes.’_

“The _nerve_! He said he would the second you visited his office for the first time, and yet he didn’t! What a complete lack of tact, not even trying to bring you up to speed and sending you off to challenge the Gyms without the slightest understanding of the _truth-_ “

She went off, calling Chiron every obscenity she could think of. They weren’t really obscenities per se because Hazel was too nice for that. But her choice of words was interesting, to say the least.

“- just you wait, the second I see him again I’m going to let him have it and –“

Nico interrupted sharply, “Hazel. It’s fine. You can tell me now.”

“It’s too much,” Hazel said firmly. There wasn’t any attempt at evasiveness anymore. “It would take too long to explain. It’d be shocking, no doubt, and I’m sure you’ll have lots of questions.”

“Try me.”

Hazel took a few seconds before coming to a conclusion. “No, I’m sorry. This isn’t the right place, and we don’t have the time. Now, if you’ll excuse me and Frank, we have to get going to the League.”

Hazel very quickly gave Nico an aggressive hug before storming out of the room, clearly still mad at Chiron for withholding information from Nico. Not like she had just done the same thing.

Nico stared at the door, knowing better than to go after Hazel and pushing further.

“Hey, uh,” Frank said, still in his seat. “I don’t know how long this problem will take to boil over, but I think you two should continue the League challenge.”

“I kind of need the badge from this town first,” Nico said, still looking at the door.

“Yeah, I know. So … here,” Frank said. Nico turned to see Frank giving him Arbor Town’s badge.

Nico stared at it. “I haven’t beaten you.”

“No, but the Gym gives badges to those who demonstrate great courage and strength in the face of danger. With all that’s happened tonight, I think you deserve it. You know, with being able to hold off the creepy dirt lady and all,” Frank shook the badge, gesturing for Nico to take it.

It felt cheap and unearned, but Nico took it simply because he reasoned that if he wanted to continue the challenge, he’d have to wait for this guy to come back. Who knows how long that would take.

“Thanks,” Nico said simply.

Frank stood up awkwardly, shifting from side to side before saying, “Well, I guess I’ll … go. Yeah. See you.”

“What about the house?” Nico gestured around the room. “We can’t stay here anymore.”

Frank waved him off casually (but still managed to look awkward about it). “My grandmother – the village elder – she’ll be here in the morning. She’ll understand.” And as if that was supposed to answer Nico’s question, Frank opened the front door and stepped outside.

A moment later, Hazel swung the door open violently. “Don’t do anything, Nico. Please. Earn your next badge, continue on like normal. I know you want to get involved, but this is too dangerous.”

Without another word, Hazel slammed the door and locked it, her tone very clearly telling Nico that she wasn’t playing around. She would be royally ticked off if Nico so much as tried to learn more about what was happening.

Nico watched from the window as Hazel’s Rapidash disappeared into the night in a fiery blur. Nico sat back down on the couch, and Will leaned his head against Nico’s shoulder.

“Hazel’s kinda scary when she’s angry. Must be a family thing.”

Nico rolled his eyes. There were still a million unanswered questions swimming in his head; the night had given him a lot to think about. And he wanted to discuss it with Will, but he had fallen asleep on Nico’s shoulder already.

There wasn’t much else to do but sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading,
> 
> Cheers!


	16. Back to Bellus

_Hey Dad,_

_How are you? I’m writing to you because I never responded to your letters and I wanted to say sorry for that. The truth is, I’m accompanying a friend on their League challenge. I’m not that interested in pursuing a future in the PokéCenter business, but thanks for the offer. The next time I’m in Bellus, we should hang out or something. I know you’re busy, but let’s see what sticks._

_Take care,_

_Will_

Will looked over the letter before crumpling it up and tossing it into the waste basket in the corner of the room, landing atop an already large pile of similar letters. He sighed, leaning back in the chair and looking at the ceiling. It felt like trying to talk to Apollo at this point was selfish, a cruel irony that mocked Will’s desire to learn more about last night. But he had to know what Terras had to do with Apollo. Or more specifically, how the dirt lady knew who Apollo was and knew that Will was his kid. It was eating away at him.

But the fact of the matter was, Will had been avoiding all contact with his dad. It was wrong to suddenly seek him out for his own benefit. The tables had turned, hadn’t they?

_‘Oh, joy,’_ Will thought. _‘Frustration.’_

Igglybuff sat on the corner of the desk, drowsily playing with a wad of paper it claimed was a rock. Its origami skills needed some work, to say the least.

“Hey,” Will heard Nico’s voice from behind him. Will spun around in his chair to see Nico entering the room, his hair sticking up in every direction and bags under his eyes from too much sleep. Truly the image of perfection, in Will’s opinion.

“Morning. Or, afternoon, I think,” Will looked at the walls, looking for a clock.

“11:52, so it’s still morning,” Nico said.

“Whoa, so early,” Will said sarcastically, spinning in his chair.

Nico ignored him, looking at the pile of papers in the waste basket. “Busy?”

“Nah, not anymore. Hungry?”

Nico nodded, gesturing to the doorway. “The village elder’s here, though. She wants to talk to us before we go.”

“Where are we going, by the way?”

Nico hesitated and shrugged. “We can talk about that later.”

Vague, if not ominous.

Will followed Nico into the living room, where an elderly woman was sitting in one of the large armchairs. And though she was old, her posture suggested one of experience, pride, and stubborn resilience. What was the name of the family again? Will had read it on one of the plaques hanging on the wall he was just in. He was pretty sure it was Zhang.

“Ah, good to see you. Please, sit down,” the village elder gestured towards the couch opposite of her. Her voice was as tough as her appearance. “My grandson, Frank, and his girlfriend, Hazel – “

“Ha, what?” Nico asked incredulously.

“That’s right. He says it’s nothing more than a friendship, but I’m not blind. Don’t interrupt,” she snapped suddenly. “As I was saying, they’ve gone to alert the League about the temple intrusion. They seem to think that the situation is small enough to be diffused.”

“Isn’t it?” Will shifted in his seat. “Hazel said Gaea or whatever was weak.”

“Bah, don’t be ridiculous. That stone was no ordinary stone. It was a token to the guardian Azelf, and it held a fraction of the power of the Legendary Pokemon itself. This is only the start of a long path to darkness, mark my words.”

Will sighed, hoping Grandma Zhang wouldn’t mind another interruption. He would need a lengthy explanation about all the things she had just said.

 

~

 

The discussion hadn’t gone as well as Will had hoped. After giving a long and confusing discussion about “the hidden truth” about mythical Pokemon and the people who are gifted their powers, told them that they had to pursue a crazed evil dirt woman, and giving them something called a Lustrous Orb, she kicked them out.

“You’re not mad, are you?” Nico asked as they walked out of the diner Will had gone to on his first day in Arbor Town.

“No, of course not. I’m perfectly satisfied with being told fairy tales exist and being told to fight an ominous threat with nothing but a pebble,” Will closed the door behind him, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “100% A-Okay. You?”

“After all that’s happened, you don’t believe those ‘fairy tales’ are real?” Nico gave him a disbelieving glance.

“I do, I’m just worried about the implications of them being real, is all,” Will huffed, thinking about Apollo. Sitting in his PokéCenter tower in Bellus, entirely enthralled in himself. “Let’s hope for this pebble’s sake that the Spatial Pokemon does exist, or I’m chucking it into the forest.”

Will gestured at the orb Nico was holding in his hand. The mist inside of it swirled relentlessly, and with its soft, mythical glow, it looked like a tiny crystal ball.

“Where are we going, anyway? I forgot.”

“Bellus, apparently. The village elder said the city we should go to is south of there,” Nico replied.

Will readjusted the straps on his bag, careful not to wake Igglybuff. The puffball was still recovering from a dramatic loss of one hour of sleep. “Wish Grandma Zhang wasn’t so vague. She didn’t even tell us how to _use_ the thing.”

“Why are you calling her that?” Nico said off-handedly. “And no, she didn’t say.”

Will watched as Nico flipped the orb in the palm of his hand repeatedly. Then, without warning, the orb flashed and everything around them distorted like the reflection of a warped mirror. Before Will could get a proper read on what was happening, everything shifted back.

They were standing at the entrance to Bellus, by the residential side.

“Cool,” Will muttered. His gut felt like he’d done a few aerial spins, making him feel queasy. “I’m gonna go throw up. Be right back.”

 

* * *

 

 

Will didn’t throw up. He looked at the ground with a stern face as crouched down for a few minutes.

“Okay, I think I’m good. Never again, though,” Will warned, looking at the orb with animosity. Nico pocketed the thing and nudged Will on the shoulder.

“It worked. Let’s get going. If we take the transit to the business district –“

“Whoa now, we’re not rushing this,” Will said firmly. “We’re taking it at a moderately-slow-but-not-slow-enough-that-you-get-sick-of-it pace. Just – just, chill out for two seconds.”

Nico gave him a quizzical stare.

“I know you want to go running in as fast as possible – trust me, I do too – but are you really going to go in knowing nothing but the fact that mythical powers exist? Sounds kinda reckless to me.”

Finding nothing to counter his point, Nico sighed. “Fine, you’re right. What’s the plan, then?”

“Piper’s in this town, maybe Leo if we’re lucky. Let’s go look for them. Being Gym Leaders and all, they’ll obviously know _something_ about this whole mess - and seeing as we know _nothing_ it sounds like a good next step,” Will pointed at the northern part of the Bellus map. “So let’s start there.”

The houses were as boring and monotonous as the last time they were here. The same cookie-cutter styles with the same boring paint jobs, and the same city Pokemon skittering between trees or hanging off telephone wires. The people went on with their daily lives, unknowing that some fiendish power was simmering right under their noses. Everything looked practically unchanged since the last time they were here, but Nico wasn’t really interested in spotting any differences. It was all the same as far as he was concerned.

For whatever reason, the transit system was having technical difficulties when arrived at the station. Everything looked normal, but the wait to get on was long and boring, making Nico feel like he was wasting time. The line to get a ticket onto the platform was long, and even longer was the stagnant line to then get from the station onto the passing transports. The line inched forward at a disturbingly slow pace, although Nico had his reservations that maybe he was being a little biased.

Finally, when they did get on, the ride felt jittery and slow: the cart would stop and stutter every couple of feet as if it was grinding against the rails too much. It took them the best of an hour to get into the entertainment district.

The bustling city hadn’t lost its liveliness in this area, and Nico wondered how quickly it had recovered from the incident from a couple of weeks ago. Igglybuff certainly had. Though, the more Nico paid attention, the more he noticed that the town had a sad ambiance to it now. Street light poles, windows, and door knobs had the occasional flyer attached to it, and each one was a poster about a missing Pokemon.

Household Pokemon, workplace Pokemon, even baby Pokemon were all on the posters, along with the contact information for their respective owners. Some of the posters were distributed by the local police force while others seemed to be made by hand.

Nico did a double-take on the street behind them, looking for the posters where he hadn't been paying attention. The amount of paper that plastered the street made him feel sick, and an intense hatred ignited in his stomach. Now, more than ever, he wanted to march straight to the southern town and find out what he needed to do. But he respected Will's judgment, so they had to go to the Gym first. It was only across the street now, after all. 

The Gym looked strangely inactive as they approached it. There wasn’t anything going on in the lot, which was a bad sign. Nico’s heart dropped as they looked through the glass doors. The lights were off and no one was in there. Nico peered inside the glass doors, looking for any sign of movement. There wasn't any; only the stiff silhouette of the desk stared back at him. The Gym was completely empty. They had just wasted time here.

“Now what?” Nico stepped away from the glass, annoyed. He felt a sudden sense of urgency, as if the situation had gotten ten times worse in the short time it took them to get here. “We could have been on our way already.”

“We can head to the business district,” Will suggested. Despite the setback, he kept his cool. “I think it’s safe to assume that all the Gym Leaders got called to the League. I should have thought about that sooner.”

"Let's just get back on track quickly," Nico said. He slammed the crosswalk button repeatedly, venting his frustration. He couldn't wait until the light turned green.

The ride back was just as bad. With screeching rails and unexpected stops, Nico had to wonder what had happened to the system as a whole. Had there been some kind of storm that messed with everything?

The onboard conductor shook his head when Nico asked. “We’re not sure what’s going on. Everything was fine, and then one night it wasn’t. There doesn’t seem to be any damage anywhere. We’re trying to fix it during the night, so please be patient.”

The doors slid open at their stop an hour and a half later, thanks to the transit stopping for no reason at least 3 times. Every time Nico would stumble into Will against the wall. Needless to say, there was a lot of banter and teasing each time.

“What’s wrong with this place?” Nico grumbled as they stepped out of the transit and into the bustling streets of the residential area again. “Not so beautiful anymore. More like a literal train wreck.”

“It’s … strange. I hope everything’s under control now. C’mon, this way,” Will led them to a different station that traveled to the business district. Nico didn't protest, seeing as they had to head there anyway.

This train was a little less broken, though Nico could still feel the vehicle struggling. The ride was significantly shorter, though, and he found himself standing in the skyscraper filled part of town in no time. He almost forgot to wait for Will and their Pokemon as he rushed out of the transit. Nico wanted to take the most direct path to the southern exit of town, but Will veered them off-course and onto another street.

“What’re we doing here?” Nico asked.

“Ah, I want to meet someone,” Will answered vaguely as he studied the buildings one by one. Finding the one he was looking for, he gestured for Nico to follow. The streets were flowing with businessmen and women as usual, but Nico couldn’t help but notice there was a significant lack of Pokemon among them. He hoped the Pokemon were at their homes rather than lost.

“Here we are,” Will stopped in front of a Pokemon Center-like building. Its red roof and LED PokeBall insignia stood out like a beacon among the normal towers. Will looked nervous as they walked up the marble steps.

The inside of the building looked like a deluxe version of a PokéCenter, with its familiar white floors and red highlighted furniture. Even the potted plants were the exact same as the ones in a normal PokeCenter. If Nico didn't know any better, he'd say this was just a jumbo-Center. But with so many business people around, it was bound to be an office. They approached the front desk.

“Hi, I’m Will Solace,” Will told the Nurse Joy behind the counter. She looked strangely out of place when everyone else in the room wore business attire.

Nurse Joy gave a surprised, “Oh!” and immediately dialed a number on the desk phone without hesitation. It looked like her job was more of a receptionist rather than a nurse. She muttered something into the phone before hanging it back up.

“He’ll be here shortly,” she said. Nico raised an eyebrow, suspicious of all the ambiguity. 

Will nodded and turned back to Nico, giving him a poor attempt at a reassuring smile. He rubbed the palms of his hands on his pants and kept staring at the exit. Igglybuff looked ecstatic, though. It bounced on Will's shoulder as it looked around the building, wanting to jump off to explore. It looked like it was most excited to check out the hallway that led to the medical stuff. Nico said nothing, feeling awkward at the whole situation.

A minute barely passed when a pair of elevator doors opened up behind them with a swish.

“Hey, good to see you, kiddo! I’ve been looking _everywhere_ for you!”

Both Will and Nico turned on the spot, and Nico caught glimpse of a weak smile on Will’s face. He looked nervous, flustered, and worried all at the same time.

The man who came out of the elevator wore normal clothing that stood out among all the suits around them. A colorful band tee and a pair of loose cargo shorts weren't something Nico would think someone would wear in a place like this. He had sandy-blonde, tousled hair, much like Will. He _looked_ very similar to Will, even down to the blue eyes. It was jarring.

Igglybuff looked even more happy, if Nico could believe it. But Will had his hands in his pockets, bouncing his weight from foot to foot. It took a second before he spoke up, saying, “Hey, dad. Long time no see.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Business has been booming, though I’m not too keen on the numbers. I mean, Lynda’s got it all covered, so I haven’t got any of the finer details. And you know, we’re looking at expanding into the PokéMart business. It’s a cool idea if you think about it. Why travel between two places when you can just go to one? Genius!” Apollo waved a pen in the air, tossing another piece of paper into the waste basket. He hadn’t stopped talking for over thirty minutes, going on about his endeavors. So nothing had changed much, in Will’s experience.

Will sunk lower into his chair, fighting the need to interrupt. He knew it would only lead to a longer one-person discussion anyway. Will had probably said six words during the whole thing, and Nico hadn’t scored a single sound on the board yet. In fact, Apollo hardly seemed to notice him.

Apollo had already given them the full tour, all while tapping away on a screen he kept looking at out of the corner of his eye. Business, probably. The edge of nervousness had worn down now, but Will was still reserved. Clearly, there weren't any hurt feelings - it was as if a few months hadn't passed at all. Now, though, they were sitting in the only room on the top-most floor, which must have been Apollo’s office.

For someone working in a pristine, sleek place, Apollo was certainly … free-spirited. The room didn’t have the serious office vibe that the lobby had. In fact, Will was certain there wasn’t a single office supply in the whole entire office besides paper. Instead, there was a nice collection of string instruments to Will’s left, a desk with sheets of paper next to a waste basket topped to the brim with crumpled pieces of paper to his right, and a collection of books behind Apollo. There was a surprising amount of music books in the collection from what Will could read.

The walls consisted largely of glass panes that allowed them to oversee the whole of Bellus and the ocean. The skylight in the roof let the sun shine in directly overhead in the middle of the day. There probably wasn’t a single time during the day that the room ever needed anything besides natural lighting.

“-ose your friend?”

Will snapped his attention back to Apollo, who had stopped talking and was looking at Will directly. He hadn’t heard the full sentence, but it only took him a few seconds to catch on.

“Oh, um, this is Nico. I’ve been –“

“Great! I’m guessing he’ll be joining you in school, then?” Apollo was already tapping at his screen at light speed. “That’s fine, I’ll set everything up really quick – “

“Dad, I’m not going to study or whatever for the medical stuff you wanted me to do. I’m sorry,” Will cringed inwardly as he said it, thinking of the million ways Apollo would react. But with him it was better to rip the bandage right off; there wasn’t much time to break the news slowly anyways.

Of all the possibilities in his mind, he hadn’t even considered calm confusion as an option. But that’s what Apollo did: silently stare at Will with a perplexed expression, his mouth open in mid-sentence. “I … what do you mean? You’ve wanted to do this since you were a kid.”

“I know, but … I haven’t wanted to for a while,” Will wanted to sink lower into his seat, but instead he sat straight again and leaned forward. He was keenly aware of Nico sitting next to him.

“I see. Well, that’s fine. You do you, Will,” Apollo sighed, rubbing his temple.

Will felt a bit cautious. “That’s it? Just like that?”

“Of course. That’s it,” Apollo clapped his hands on his lap, leaning back on the chair.

“… Okay. I thought you’d be a little more … upset,” Will said slowly. It was odd for sure. Maybe he’d overestimated his father on this. It definitely was uncharacteristic of him.

“If you want to start working in the field right away I can do that. Of course, you’d need to shadow a bit first, but if you want to skip school that’s no problem,” Apollo continued to tap on his phone, even faster this time.

Will sighed. There it was. The caveat to his calmness.

“Dad _,_ ” Will began with a sigh.

“No no, don’t worry! It’s not breaking the rules if you make them. Don’t worry about a thing. Your talent can really do you good, you know,” Apollo was almost entirely focused on what he was tapping now, completely oblivious to the sour face Will was making.

“Dad.”

“No, you’re right. But it’s not _that big_ a deal. I run the place, and I know you’re already so well trained. All you need is the field experience, maybe read up a bit. It shouldn’t be that hard for you to get started.”

“ _Dad_ ,” Will implored, at the edge of his chair. “That’s not what I meant. I’m in the middle of something.”

Apollo raised his eyebrows but never looking up from his screen. “What do you mean, Will?”

“I’m doing something right now. It’s important,” Will tried to explain, having a hard time explaining.

“Of course! Just finish up what you’re doing and then you can start. I really am happy you’re here, you know. It’s kinda boring being around all these business people. Can’t get proper inspiration for poems and such with a quarterly report,” Apollo laughed, still not looking at him.

Will looked pleadingly at Nico, but he didn’t have any support to offer. Mainly he looked awkward and stiff.

Will shook his head, taking a deep breath. “What do you know about Gaea?”

Apollo stopped typing, locking eyes with Will. “Gaea? Why?”

“Well …” Will’s voice trailed off.

“We ran into her last night,” Nico cut in, nodding to Will. “In a temple in Arbor Town. She raided it.”

Apollo turned to look at Nico, a mix of interest and confusion in his eyes. He took a moment before muttering, “The Ancient Earth. Bonded with the power of the corrupted Gratitude Pokemon.”

The joviality in his voice was gone. No ego, no cheer. “After ... certain events that didn’t end well for her, the vile hatred in her heart poisoned her patron’s essence. Warped it, destroyed it. It didn’t end well for her or her patron Legendary.”

Apollo had never looked so serious in Will’s life. It was a jarring change of pace. The room was silent for a few minutes as Apollo looked down at his desk.

“I need to return to the League. If what you say is true, and Gaea is awake, then there will be a meeting,” Apollo stood up and walked across the room, looking out the window. “Don’t do anything more. Not yet.”

“You’re an Olympian, right? One of the people who received power from a Legendary? Why’d you hold off on telling me that?” Will asked.

“You’ve always been fiercely independent. I’d planned to tell you slowly over time, I just couldn’t find the best way to start. I decided to start too late; most kids know at a young age. But better late than never, right? It’s why I sent you that letter, offering you to come here and study. Strange, how the Fates weave the loom of life, isn’t it?” Apollo huffed out a chuckle, turning back around to look at Will. He seemed to be considering something. “You know what? I can’t tell you what to do next, but I hear the little of town of Delphi,” Apollo raised his eyebrows, a grin on his face, “is pretty sweet this time of year. Great place to get inspiration.”

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Will started. But Apollo interrupted.

“What do I have power over?” Apollo said, amused. Will nodded. “Well, a lot of things. They’ve accumulated over the years. The muses, originally. Music, art, that sort of thing. Latios’ power has grown to cover other things, like healing. But I guess the main thing is the sun, now. So…” Apollo shrugged. “I’ll see you soon, Will.”

With a flash of yellow light, Apollo disappeared. A Pokémon’s shadow flew over the building. It was a blur of blue and white, with two arms tucked into its body and a pair of stationary wings. A figure rode on its back.

Nico broke the silence in the room after thirty seconds. “I can’t say I was expecting to meet your dad so soon. I didn’t get the shovel talk, at least.”

“Hah, he’d probably talk at you rather than with you,” Will paused before continuing slowly, “Hey, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before, even when we were here the last time. It’s just that I was kinda nervous about what would happen. My dad doesn’t exactly exist on the same plain as everyone else. Kinda does and hears what he wants. Apparently very godly, too.”

“Well, he definitely has a lot of energy to burn. Must run in the family,” Nico mocked.

Will scoffed, rolling his eyes. “You can’t recycle one of my jokes, especially less than 12 hours after it was said! And you messed up the punch line.”

“So off to Delphi we go. Now we have two places to be,” Nico said. “Which one do we go to first?”

Will got up from his seat and stared out the window. The sun was hanging a little low, and despite it being hot, the room was perfectly cool. Even in direct sunlight, he felt like he was standing in a sheltered room. The coast extended as far as the eye could see, past the forest up north. But towards the south, the terrain looked like coastal mountains. Sparse yet green, but definitely not a walk that would be easy on his feet.

“Let’s go to the southern town. We owe it to Grandma Zhang first. Inspiration can wait for later,” Will turned around, gesturing towards the elevator. “It’s a long hike ahead.”

As they headed into the elevator, Will asked, “Hey, are we doing pet names or...?

“I’ve got ammo now too, you know, so don't get too cocky.”

“Psh, what’s the worst you can come up with? Sunshine?” Will paused, before adding, “That one’s kinda nice.”

Nico simply rolled his eyes.

 

* * *

 

The sun was setting as they arrived at the end of the Route. The ocean crashed against the cliffside to their right, and the whistling of the wind rustled through the trees to their left. The town was by the sea, and was only a few feet away now.

“What do you know,” Will said, pointing at the sign welcoming them to the city. “Guess we’re gonna get inspired after all.”

Nico looked at the sign, reading the words, “Welcome to Delphi, City of the Foretold”. But the sign was old, like it had been standing there a long time. Not even Arbor Town’s entrance looked so worn down. The town inside looked ancient, like Old Arbor, only well-maintained and kept. From the looks of it, it wasn't that big of a city. More like a village.

Nico nodded, picking Cubone up and adjusting his bag before walking alongside Will into the city. They'd have complete answers and a sense of what to do next very soon. Continuing the League challenge was out of the question; even if Nico wanted to (he didn't), it didn't look like any of the Gyms were even working anymore. And if the threat was as big as Nico was estimating it to be, they wouldn't be open for a long while.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading,
> 
> Cheers!


	17. Delphi

“Anything?” Will asked.

Nico sighed in frustration, closing the book he was holding and dumping it on the table. “Nope, nothing. You?”

“Same,” Will replied, sliding the loosely bound book across the table, where a hefty pile had accumulated. They were all filled with the same thing: thorough descriptions of Legendary Pokemon and their mythos. Creation stories mainly, but others also contained the tales of their human counterparts. And while it was all very interesting, Will found himself lost as to what they were doing in Delphi. No direction, no purpose other than to _be_ there.

 “There’s got to be something, I know it,” Nico picked up another book and flipped through pages. He had told Will that he was convinced that their answer was here, in the collection of ancient books within one of the small town’s buildings. It was the only thing in Delphi that was noteworthy, so Nico thought that they’d find something to aid them with Gaea. Information on her Pokemon counterpart or something. Will was skeptical after two days of reading and nothing but stories to show for it.

Igglybuff sat on the table’s edge, scribbling some drawings on pieces of blank paper, and Cubone sat asleep on one of the chairs. Will could tell that the Pokemon were getting restless as well.

“Look, we’ve learned a lot about things we didn’t know before,” Will said hopefully. “Like the Lustrous Orb – we know it’s a mythical token like the gem from the temple, and that it can teleport anywhere that you’ve been before. Let’s cut our losses and head back out.”

“Not a chance, sunshine,” Nico said nonchalantly. “Not until we get a tiny bit of info on Gaea, at least. Something to aim for.”

Will rolled his eyes, spinning in his chair. “I told you calling me ‘sunshine’ isn’t good ammo for annoying nicknames.”

“I know,” Nico said, not looking up from his book. Will blushed a bit.

“Well, uh, maybe we’re missing something. Like – like … well, my dad said she predates the Olympians, back when the world was just the world and the sky. Maybe there are no stories because there simply wasn’t anyone to write them, or the books that do exist on her are so old they’re not here,” Will suggested. “If they exist, maybe they’re in a different part of town.”

“Where else, though?” Nico pushed the book aside, sighing.

“Can’t know if we don’t check for the fifth time,” Will offered. “Fresh air sounds nice, don’t you think?”

Nico agreed reluctantly, pushing the pile of books to the center of the table and standing up, putting his aviator jacket back on. Will sighed with relief, standing up to stretch his legs. Sitting around was doing a number on him.

After collecting their things and waking Cubone up, they made their way out of the building. It wasn’t a library, just an old cottage-like building that housed some old texts and pottery. The few people who lived in the town had told them to use it if they wanted to learn more on “the ancients”. And it really was the only thing to do in Delphi, anyway. Will couldn’t see how “inspiration” could spark anywhere in a place so … tame.

The town could easily fit inside a fraction of Bellus seven times over. It was so small, in fact, that all the houses and the outdated Pokemon Center all sat in a circle around a wrecked statue in the middle of the town. The epicenter of the whole place. From what remained of it and from what the locals told them, Will knew that it used to be a woman that was important to the town. It also used to have a statue of the guardian of the town, Latios, a long time ago. The same Pokemon that his dad associated with.

Besides the neat trivia about the statue, Will knew deep down that they wouldn’t find anything because there wasn’t anything to find. They’d been to all of the buildings at least three times; two of them were the homes of some elderly people, one of them was the Pokemon Center, another was the cottage they were just in, and the last one was abandoned.  It didn’t even have floorboards in it, and the other rooms were sealed off.

They gave their usual walk around Delphi within twenty minutes, and nothing had changed. The elders told them that no other books or texts existed outside of the cottage, which muddled Will’s hopes. He didn’t want to continue reading the seven-inch-thick book he was reading before they left.

“Let’s clear our heads for a while longer,” Will suggested quickly. “Living in a room full of dusty pottery and old paper can’t be good for our health.”

“I know what you’re trying to do, but fine,” Nico shook his head. “It _was_ getting kinda annoying in there.”

“C’mon, we haven’t been down to the beach yet,” Will said. “It’s not that far away.”

“Yeah, thirty feet west and a drop straight down,” Nico said sarcastically. He was right. The only way to get to the shore was down a cliff that oversaw a small cove of sorts. Problem was, there wasn’t a way down. Not that they’d tried looking, anyway.

“Fine, let’s stare into the ocean longingly and brood for a while then,” Will made a gesture with his hands to drive his point home. “That’ll be fun.”

“Sounds good,” Nico said simply, starting to walk in the direction of the coast. It really was only a few feet away from the closest building to the cliff, overseeing the ocean and its sea life. Wingulls were coming in and out of the larger cliffside to their right. The mountainous edge extended further out, creating a peninsula that was bustling with Flying-types as they nested among the cliff.

Down below, the sands were active with Krabby and Doduos fighting it out for the food that the waves brought in. It all felt strangely normal, something Will hadn’t afforded to take part in for the last few days. Igglybuff hopped off Will’s shoulder and landed on the grass which was mixed with loose soil and sand that blew up from the dunes below.

“Don’t get close to the edge, Iggs,” Will warned. “Long way down.”

The Pokemon replied with a nod, swirling its hand through the sand. Cubone plopped down and went back to sleep next to Nico. Will frowned, feeling like something was off. Cubone had been sleeping a lot. There wasn’t anything wrong with that in itself, but it was a strange habit to pick up immediately after the incident in Arbor Town. He had half the mind to do a check up on the Pokemon to see if everything was alright.

“Cubone’s just bored,” Nico explained when Will told him about it. “We’ve been doing nothing for a couple days. Not even a few battles to pass the time.”

“Well, I guess –“

The ground crumbled near the edge of the cliff, and Will turned to see Igglybuff prying a large rock from the ground a little too close to the edge. The ground looked unstable.

“Iggs, don’t!” Will warned, but it was too late. The Pokemon managed to rip the stone completely out of the ground, causing it all to break off. A chunk of the cliff crumbled down to the bottom, along with Igglybuff.

Will scrambled to the edge. The Pokemon was gently floating down, spinning in circles as it fell.

Will sighed in relief, crawling away from the ledge. But still trying to keep Igglybuff in his sight. He watched as the Pokemon landed gently on top of the rocks that had fallen before hopping off and bouncing towards the shore. The puff stopped and stared in the direction of the cliff as if something was calling it. Without looking up at Will, the Pokemon started hopping down the shore.

“Iggs, get back here!” Will called out, but the Pokemon kept bouncing. It made its way to the mountainous cliffside to the left, signaling for Will to follow. “I can’t follow you there! Nico, can you get Murkrow to fly down there and swoop Iggs back up?”

“Yeah,” Nico said, unhooking a PokeBall from his belt.

Meanwhile, Igglybuff reached the large mountainous cliffside. The Pokemon signaled again to Will before disappearing into a crevasse in the wall.

“Great,” Will muttered. “Just great. Now we _have_ to go down there. Igglybuff’s crawled into a cave and it wants us to follow,” Will sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “No rest for the weary, huh?”

They spent the best of ten minutes trying to find a way down the cliff – everything was a straight drop down, and from the looks of it, the only way down was jumping off. But Will was determined to find some sort of path as they scoured the cliffside further to the west, outside of town. It wasn’t easy, but Will was less than willing to admit that Igglybuff would come back on its own. The Pokemon was stubborn enough to wait for them to follow all day, and they really didn’t have that kind of time.

Eventually, they did find a steep but manageable slope off the side of the cliff. It was a sharp incline littered with loose rocks and brambles, but it would have to do. Will pressed his body against the cliffside as they made their way down the slope. It seemed to take forever, and Will’s footing slipped a few times. Nico and Cubone followed closely behind, not hesitating as much as Will.

“How long have you been a pro mountain climber?” Will said. His voice betrayed his confidence, coming out a little shaky.

“You’ll be fine,” Nico said reassuringly, nodding to Will. “If you fall, I’ve got you.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Will said sarcastically.

Finally, they reached the bottom of the slope. Nico jumped down onto the sand as Will took a breather. The wild Pokemon parted and scurried away as they walked through the sand. Will was thankful; no distracting battles to fight for now.

His shoes flung sand with each step he took as they walked towards the cliffside. When they reached the hole Igglybuff had gone into, Will let out a tired breath and wiped his hair to the side, climbing up the few boulders between him and the crevasse. The rocks were damp from the ocean spray and peering inside only revealed darkness. But a gentle breeze was coming out of the rock, meaning that there was something more inside. Some sort of tunnel system, at least.

“Igglybuff?” Will yelled. No response. The opening was too small to fit inside, and there didn’t seem to be any other way to get through. “Igglybuff, come back!”

“Maybe there’s another way through,” Nico said. Cubone stepped up onto one of the boulders and stared keenly at the cliffside before turning around.

“Cubone!” it said, making a circular gesture in the air before shaking its bone as if it was going to break something. “Cu!”

“Cubone feels like there’s a cavern or something deeper inside,” Nico said, looking at the cliffside with interest. “It’s a hidden cove.”

“How would you know that?” Will raised an eyebrow, confused. But no sooner had he spoke that Cubone suddenly cracked a hole on a piece of jagged rock a few feet away. The rock crumbled to the floor, spilling down into the sand and revealing an entrance to a bigger tunnel.

“Good job, Cubone,” Nico said, moving forward and patting the Pokemon on the head.

Will followed Nico as he took the lead into the tunnel. It was similar to the crevasse Igglybuff had gone into. Damp, dark, and without a pink puffball in sight.

The tunnel opened up into a very large, well-lit cavern. It had to be as big as the arena from Bellus’ Gym, if not larger. Moss and other kinds of plants covered the walls, and some glowing Pokemon – probably Volbeat – flew at the top of the cavern, giving it a mystical vibe. The cavern opened up to the open sea on the right, where ocean waves rolled up some sandy dunes. Nico was right – it was a hidden cove. They simply couldn’t see it from the outside. The whole place gave him the impression of those calendars that featured amazing places. Hidden coves that looked over a sparkling blue sea was easily the kind of place that would be used for the month of June.

Will turned to his left, eyes landing on an out-of-place house. It was quaint yet cozy-looking, with its white-colored planked walls and a welcoming porch on the front, like a beach house. Most importantly, though, it was entirely out of place.

“Iggs!” Will called out again. And again, the Pokemon didn’t reply. “C’mon,” he said, kicking through more sand as he walked towards the house. Despite how nice the house looked, the fact that it was in a secluded cove made it seem ominous.

The sandy dunes turned into choppy grass as they walked. Will climbed up the wooden steps with Nico behind him, and with a quick nod of assurance, Will knocked on the door. “Hello? Sorry to bother you, my Pokemon climbed through a hole in the cliff.”

The force of Will’s knocking opened the door, revealing a dark room. Nico looked at him with questioning eyes.

“What? I didn’t knock that hard,” Will said.

He peered into the house. It was dark and seemingly unoccupied. But a painting caught Will’s eye. The canvas sat lopsided against the wall near the doorframe. A beautifully painted Pokemon stared at him with fiery red eyes, a contrast to the Pokémon’s cool blue and white body.

“Latios,” Will murmured, even though he wasn’t sure why he was so certain.

Without thinking, Will stepped into the house, intrigued. The room was filled to the brim with similar paintings. Some were done in experimental designs while others were varying degrees of realistic. Piles of paintings filled the room. Some were hanging on walls, others were leaning against the walls, and some were completely strewn across the floor. A rainbow of paint speckled the plastic-protected floor. Painting supplies were crammed into a corner, surrounded by more canvases. And despite everything, it all looked organized somehow, like there was some kind of order to the madness.

“Who do you think lives here?” Nico asked as he stepped into the house. Will shook his head slightly, looking at all the different Pokemon depicted on the paintings. Some looked elegant or cutesy, while others looked like draconic beasts with great power.

Will picked up a crumpled piece of paper that was sitting in a waste basket under a canvas-packed desk and smoothed it out.

The Pokemon drawing looked almost exactly the same as the one he’d seen back in Arbor Town, but only in concept. From what Will recalled, the Bellus drawing also had a Pokemon with a triangular-shaped head, a circle on its head, and two tails. But this one was much more detailed, a realistic sketch of a Pokemon that had big eyes and a jewel on its forehead.

“Nico, look at this. It’s the same Pokemon from the temple,” Will held up the wrinkled drawing up. “You think maybe-“

“Hello,” a voice said from behind him, a little too close for comfort. Will jumped slightly but turned around quickly without missing a beat. The voice’s owner stepped into the room, her frizzy red hair standing out at every angle. She wore a shirt that was probably two sizes too big for her, and she had a set of paint brushes stuffed into her paint-splattered, pen drawing-covered blue jeans.

“Not cool,” Will shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck.

She laughed. “ _You’re_ the one who broke in. _That’s_ pretty not cool.”

“Sorry. I just knocked and the door opened,” Will held out his hand to her. “I’m –“

“Apollo’s kid,” she interrupted, nodding.

“…Yeah,” Will said slowly. “How’d you know?”

“Because you look just like him,” she said with a laugh. “I’m Rachel, at your service.”

Will gestured to himself, then to Nico. “Will. And this is Nico. You haven’t seen an Igglybuff around here, have you?”

“Oh, yeah. I thought its trainer might show up sooner or later, so you must be the one. Little guy’s in the kitchen – after pounding on the door to get in.”

Will shook his head, sighing. “Ran away for food? I’m so sorry –“

“No, I’m pretty sure it’s not that,” Rachel said vaguely. “But you should call your Pokemon, anyway.”

Will nodded. “Iggs! We’ve got our own food!” Within seconds, the Pokemon came leaping out of the hallway Rachel had come from. The Pokemon was holding a half-eaten Iapapa Berry. Will let out a groan. “You don’t even like Iapapas.”

Igglybuff shrugged before tossing the berry into the trash and joining him at his side. The room became awkwardly silent as Rachel looked between them all. Her gaze was strangely placid yet analytical, assessing them while maintaining a relaxed attitude.

“These paintings,” Nico began, his voice trying to sound casual. “They’re nice.”

“Thank you,” Rachel picked the closest one up, looking at it fondly. “the Legendary Pokemon are really quite impressive.”

The books they had been reading didn’t have any depictions of the Legendary Pokemon, which was disappointing to Will. Even the people who knew about them either hadn’t seen them or couldn’t draw. Will was inclined to believe the first one. “You’ve met them?” Will asked hopefully.

“Oh no, not in person.”

“Pictures, then?” Nico asked.

“Nope, I’ve only seen them mentally,” Rachel said matter-of-factly. “They all come to me. I just paint what I see.”

“… Right,” Will said. That wasn’t the answer Will was expecting. But he’d heard odder things in the last few days. “You – you wouldn’t happen to … have seen a Pokemon called the Gratitude Pokemon?”

“I have.”

“Great! Then could you –“

“I haven’t painted it,” Rachel said. She seemed bothered by the fact. “Not the way it is now. And I haven’t been able to draw what it looks like now.”

“I don’t think I follow,” Will furrowed his eyebrows, looking at Rachel with confusion.

“I’ll explain,” Rachel said. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

 

* * *

 

 

A variety of paintings were leaning against the wall, all depicting different scenarios. They were different from the rest: less careful and detailed, conveying things more vaguely than the ones in the other room. Not only that, but they depicted scenes rather than the Pokemon itself. One of them depicted a young teenager facing a green serpent-like dragon Pokemon with yellow eyes; waves were crashing from below and lightning was spreading across the sky. Another showed a blonde guy with a scythe casting the shadow of what Rachel claimed to be Dialga, the Temporal Pokemon.

According to Rachel, they were all visions which had come true at one point or another.

“So you see, I haven’t actually had one of those yet. I’ve gotten a musing of the Gratitude Pokemon, but only before its corruption. I can’t give you what you’re looking for.”

Rachel leaned back on her spot against the counter, where she was looking over them.

“So, what do we do now?” Nico asked, frustrated. “Gaea’s on the loose and there’s no way we can help.”

Rachel sighed. “I don’t know what to say. These things happen sporadically and only until the ones destined for it come here seeking guidance. It’s not something I choose.”

That was obviously Rachel’s way of saying, _‘Sorry, you’re not the ones for this job. Hit the road.’_

“Thanks anyway, Rachel,” Will said, eyeing Nico.

“Sorry, again,” Rachel said. And after a moment of silence, she guided them to the door and showed them out. It felt insulting, even if she didn’t mean it that way. “You know, I was certain it was something more,” she frowned. “Your Igglybuff was pulled to this place. That was a sign.”

“I’m pretty sure it was just the allure of food,” Will reassured her. Nico was somewhat hopeful that Rachel was right, and that Igglybuff wasn’t so stubborn only for food. But with each passing moment, it became painfully obvious that he was wrong.

Rachel smiled politely, leaning against one of the porch’s supports. “Well, you can stay in the cove for a while, if you like. It’s a wonderful place to get inspiration. Maybe it can help you decide what to do next.”

Funny. Apollo said the same thing about inspiration. And she had known who Will was because he looked like his dad.

But Nico would have to shelve that thought. Rachel dropped to the floor, seemingly overcome by a powerful feeling. Nico and Will tried to rush forward, but Rachel held up her hand, telling them to stop. She tensed, becoming stiff.

The voice that came out of her mouth wasn’t hers. It was raspy, ancient, and unnerving.

 

_“The sky and ground, destined to meet_

_Shall overcome the innocent’s deceit,_

_Then procure the flower which still weeps,_

_To mend the heart of the one who sleeps._

_When the sun comes crashing down,_

_A choice will be made, world-renown._

_As chaos seeps back into place,_

_The pain of the past will serve as its base.”_

 

The voice faded away after the last line, and Rachel’s body relaxed. She quickly pulled out a pen and started scribbling on her pants without hesitation, not even looking at Will or Nico. Without another word, she disappeared into the house.

Will and Nico stood awkwardly, not knowing how to react to what just happened. They stayed silent the whole time Rachel was gone. She returned with a torn piece of paper in her hands. She thrust the paper into Nico’s hands, which also got pushed against his gut, winding him a little.

“Go to Chiron. You two are the ones who are gonna solve this mess.”

With her hair askew, paint splattered all across her jeans, and her heavy breathing, Rachel looked a little crazy. But Nico nodded, turning to look at Will.

“How do we get back to town?” Will asked weakly.

Rachel frowned. “You didn’t come through the cave entrance? It connects to the town, a simple walk down a path.”

“Oops,” Will said.

 

~

 

“Ah, Nico,” a familiar voice said. Professor Chiron greeted them as he opened the door. He looked older; his expression was somber, his smile was tired, and the way he carried himself gave Nico the impression that he’d been traveling a lot lately. “Come in. I’ve been expecting you.”

Nico nodded, walking into the lab’s office in Berge.

“Professor Chiron,” Will said as he entered, shaking the Professor’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Will Solace – I’ve been traveling with Nico.”

"Apollo’s, yes? It’s good to have you,” Chiron said, sitting down in his reclining chair. Will nodded grimly, apparently taken aback by Chiron’s comment, for whatever reason.

“Please, sit down,” Chiron gestured towards two bean bags in front of his desk, a new addition since Nico was last here. They sat down opposite of each other as Chiron straightened up in his desk. “What can I do for you in these troubling times?”

“This.” Nico pulled out the crumpled sheet of paper Rachel had given them. “We got it from someone named Rachel in Delphi. It happened as we were about to leave and –“

Nico was silenced by the troubled look on Chiron’s face. The professor took the piece of paper, put on a pair of spectacles that he procured from a pocket in his sweater, and read the paper carefully. Maybe he was reading too slow, or maybe Nico was simply impatient, but it felt like he was taking forever.

If Chiron could look any worse as he put the paper down, he did.

“This, Mr. di Angelo, is a prophecy. One that not only concerns you and Mr. Solace here, but also the fate of the events unraveling right now – events that will determine the fate of the balances of nature as we know them.”

 "What do we, then?"

Chiron took off his glasses and put them away before looking back at Nico. "For now, nothing."

* * *

 

Rachel painted in a trance, letting her brush do the work for her. Truth be told, she wasn’t sure what was going to come out until she finished. She wasn’t sure about anything when she was in one of these trances.

But she felt as her brush drew out long strokes and short, sudden details before dipping into paint and going again. And again.

When she finally stopped, the painting depicted something terrible, as was normally the case.

A woman’s silhouette was emerging from green light. The scenery was desolate and formless, as if smote by a powerful force. But what hit Rachel particularly hard was something else. At the silhouette’s feet was a club-like bone, strewn across the floor and snapped in two.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've put off writing that prophecy forever... it was probably the hardest thing to write in this whole story T^T  
> On the plus side, I like how it came out.
> 
> Thanks for reading,
> 
> Cheers!


	18. Back Home

There was a bubbly excitement building up in Will’s stomach as he walked down the familiar road of Route 3. The path was one he’d known his whole life, but it felt foreign and strange to do it again after so long. They had just finished going through Helorus’ plaza, which meant a lot of stopping to talk to people that Will knew.

Chiron had let them go shortly after they showed him the poem-prophecy thing that Rachel had given them. To Nico’s dismay, Chiron told them that they had nothing to do but wait until “the others” got there. Whoever those people were. Will was fine with it – the whole situation seemed daunting enough.

It was Nico who had suggested that they stop by the Daycare for the afternoon. Igglybuff was ecstatic with the idea, and while Will was too, he felt guilty that it hadn’t occurred to him. But now that they were here, he couldn’t wait to get home.

The Route had lost the lush green foliage that was growing when they left in favor of evening-colored trees and crunchy leaves beneath their feet. But the autumn scenery wouldn’t last long – Winter was just around the corner, and the first snow would fall any day now. The trees would become barren a day before that happened, and it was usually a good heads-up every year.

Will loved the weather here. It lingered just long enough for him to enjoy it. It was unlike the blistering clear skies of Bellus, or the depressing rain of Route 10. The thought of either for more than a week made Will shiver. 

The Daycare was only a couple of feet away now. Will’s grip on Nico’s hand tightened slightly, the excitement inside him building up even more.

“Nervous?” Nico asked.

“Excited,” Will said. “It’s been a few months, but it feels like forever.”

Will could see the Pokemon charges out back as they walked up to the Daycare. Taking a deep breath that did little to calm his excitement, he grabbed the door handle and turned it. The door had a new creaky noise to it as it opened, and the bell that jingled wasn’t there anymore. There was probably a story behind both of those things. A Pokemon had probably knocked into the door trying to get in. It wouldn't be the first time.

But other than that, everything was exactly as he had left it. The wood-plank walls, the lamp on the end table that Will secretly hated, and even the mess of papers that littered the desk. Nothing had changed.

“Mom? I’m home, surprise!” Will called out as Igglybuff jumped off of his shoulder and landed on the desk happily. There was a shuffling of footsteps from the hallway to Will’s right. A second later, his mom appeared, looking both surprised and relieved.

“Will! I’ve missed you so much” she breathed, embracing him in a tight hug. She looked as well as ever - maybe a little stressed, even, but still good enough. Will was glad she wasn't as old as other mothers in town. The Daycare work was simply too much for an older person. “Have you gotten taller, still? And you need to cut your hair, William, it’s a mess.”

Will laughed as their hug continued to squeeze the air out of his lungs. “Nice to see you too, mom. Do you remember Nico?”

“Of course I do,” she said as she turned to hug Nico. Nico had no choice but to give a reluctant hug back, even if it did look awkward. His attempt was more of a half-hug. “You know, I’ve been so worried. There’s been reports all over the news about all kinds of things. Pokemon disappearances, an explosion in Arbor Town …”

“Mom, we’re fine, really. How’re things here? I noticed the bell’s gone missing.” Will gestured toward the door, but his mom waived him off.

“That’s a story, but not one for now. Oh, it’s so good to see you again, Will! How long will you be staying?”

“Um,” Will paused, looking at Nico. They exchanged silent glances as Will tried to ask him the same thing. Nico shrugged, shaking his head. “I’m not sure. Maybe two days?”

“Oh, alright. Stay at least for dinner, then. There’s this new food place with take-out in town that I’ve been dying to try,” she lead them to the couch by the coffee table and went behind the counter, looking for something. “Are you eating enough? How far through the region have you two gotten to?”

“ _Yes_ , dear mother of mine. I haven’t starved yet, as you can see,” Will said sarcastically. “We’ve actually made it pretty far. Nico finished his fifth Gym challenge a few days ago.”

His mom continued to look through cabinets behind the counter. “That’s great, Nico. You’ve really made it far, haven’t you? I remember when you had your first challenge – Will dressed so smartly for the occasion. He even got up early to do his chores just to be there. He never did that for anyone else who trained for their first Gym challenge.”

_“Mom_ ,” Will groaned, his face growing hot. “Not cool. He wasn’t ever supposed to find out about that.”

His mother simply laughed, still looking through papers. When she couldn’t find what she wanted, she shook her head and sighed. “Listen, why don’t you two go out into town for a bit while I finish up here? I don’t want to bore you by making you wait around. We can catch up after I’m done.”

“Are you sure? We can help,” Will offered, to which Nico nodded in agreement.

“I’m sure. Next time, give me a little heads-up so I can clear the schedule. Go on, I’ll be fine.”

Will raised his eyebrows, looking at her dramatically. “Are you ‘ _sure’_ sure? There’s nothing I can do to help?”

Will’s mom gave a small chuckle, shaking her head. “Always so persistent. There’s a Daycare charge out back that’s got an injury. Maybe you and Igglybuff could take a look.”

Will snapped his fingers, making finger guns. “You got it. I’m on the case.”

After grabbing a first aid kit from behind the counter, he guided Nico and Cubone to the back door. A simple white picket fence enclosed the green pastures where the Pokemon were hanging out. Despite everything looking familiar, there was a definite change in the way things were being done now. They were minor things that Will was sure only he would notice or care about; he had a knack to place the food stock near the shed for ease of access, but now they were within the shed itself, for example.

“That was a fast meeting,” Nico said. Cubone nodded in agreement, dragging its bone across the floor.

“Just wait until dinner. She’ll talk your ear out then. It’ll be fun,” Will added as Nico made a skeptical face. “Assuming we get to stay for dinner. Chiron didn’t say when he would want us back by, did he?”

Nico shook his head.

It didn’t take long to find the injured Pokemon in question. A Slakoth was resting against the support of one of the shelters scattered around the Daycare’s area. The Pokemon looked like it had a minor burn ailment, probably from one of the Fire-types not knowing how to control their flames.

“What do you think, Iggs?” Will told the puff, which had been riding on Cubone’s head since they left the house. The Pokemon jumped towards the Normal-type, which was too lazy to move, and assessed the situation, saying, “Buff”.

Will studied the Pokémon’s injury, trying to guess the severity of the burn. Most young Fire-types, particularly small ones that couldn’t rely on physical strength, had overly strong flames. The Slakoth probably startled the Fire-type by accident.

The Pokémon’s owner wouldn’t be happy if the burn stayed. Most people would feed the Pokemon a Rawst Berry or use a Burn Heal, but that didn’t heal the wound so much as stop it from doing any more harm. Luckily, he knew just what to do.

“Nico, could you do me a solid and pass me some gauze and some of that Lum Berry pulp stuff. It’s in a bottle. Green-colored, I think.”

“Very medically correct terms,” Nico teased as he searched the kit and passed Will the things he needed.

“The gauze and the Status Ailment Balm with Lum Berry Extract, TM” Will said, trying to make the name of the product sound fancy. He noticed Nico crack a smile at that, which made him smile, too. “Right, so … Iggs! Let’s just use a little Heal Pulse and we’ll patch it right up.”

Igglybuff hummed its melodic tune as Will dampened a cloth with the Berry stuff and applied it, being careful around the burn.There was something about Heal Pulse’s tune that felt especially reinvigorating to Will.

There was something about Heal Pulse’s tune that felt especially reinvigorating to Will.

_‘That’s weird,_ ’ Will thought. He was so used to Igglybuff’s song, he hardly paid much attention to the feeling it gave. It felt different this time, but he couldn’t describe why. Unable to put a finger on it, he shrugged it off as being tired or just being in a good mood.

“There, that should be better,” Will lifted the cloth to reveal a completely clean, burn-free patch of Slakoth fur. He did a double-take, looking up and down the Slakoth’s arm. But there wasn’t a burn to be seen. “Where’d the burn go?” he muttered.

“Didn’t you just heal it?” Nico asked.

“No, Igg’s can’t cure status ailments. And this ointment helps the healing process, but it takes time,” Will looked at the bottle anyway, just in case. It was a standard, run-of-the-mill bottle of Lum Berry extract. “There _was_ a burn here, wasn’t there?”

Igglybuff nodded, its little puff on its head shaking.

"Slakoth," the previously injured Pokemon said with a sleepy drawl.

“Maybe you two are just that good,” Nico suggested.

“That’s a nice thought,” Will looked over the Slakoth’s arm again. “But I doubt it.”

Nico kneeled down next to Will, looking over the Slakoth. “Well, whatever just happened, you’re really good at this kind of stuff. It suits you.”

Will reddened a little. “You think so?”

“Yeah, I do. You’re great,” Nico leaned in a little closer, looking a little mischievous. He was more prone to doing these kinds of things lately - not that Will was complaining.

Will really wanted to go in for that kiss that Nico had set up so perfectly. And he would have, considering he was already in the process of leaning forward, if Leo hadn’t burst through the back door of his house.

“What’s up, my favorite duo – oh, oh whoa! My bad! Didn’t mean to ruin the moment! I’ll just wait in here,” Leo pointed at the Daycare before retreating back inside quickly.

Will sighed, but Nico caught him off guard with a quick kiss anyway before standing up and walking towards the back door again, Cubone in tow. Will couldn’t get rid of the stupid grin on his face as he followed Nico back inside.

“What’s up? What’re you doing here?” Will asked Leo, who was pacing the area in front of the counter.

Leo shrugged, jumping on the balls of his feet. “I’m supposed to tell you guys to come back to Chiron’s, but if you two are busy …”

Behind him, a muffled voice called out from outside the door. “Leo, quit being a pest!”

“… Piper?” Will muttered, confused. Before Leo could say something witty, he turned to Nico. “Give me a sec, and then we’ll be on our way.”

Will rushed down the hallway, looking for his mom in the kitchen. He hated being the bearer of bad news. Dinner was always a family thing. Instead, he and Nico would have to meet this group that Chiron had reached out to. Hopefully, they’d help keep the situation of Gaea and her cronies in check.

_'Who knows?'_   Will thought.  _'Maybe they're a bunch of experienced adventurers._ '

Will imagined professional kinds of people that did their job quickly and efficiently. If they were lucky, this would all easily blow over like the leaves on the trees before Winter began.

 

* * *

 

 

“Well, I think we should have a failsafe group, just in case.”

“I get what you’re thinking, Annabeth, but you know that’s not how these things work.”

“They’re too _inexperienced_ and younger than any of us –“

“That was never a problem for you, and that turned out great.”

“Leo, stop. You didn’t even know her back then.”

“He’s got a point, though, Piper.”

“ _The point,_ Seaweed Brain, is that this is bigger than anything that’s happened before, and tactically it doesn’t make any sense. Having an experienced group as back-up makes much more sense –“

“When have prophecies made _any_ sense? They do what they want.”

“Who’s to say it’s about them, anyway? It never gives specifics on the one who fulfills the prophecy.”

“It was delivered _to them_ , you know what that means, you’ve gone on plenty of these trips yourself.”

“Guys, maybe we’re looking at this the wrong way.”

“Not helping, Frank.”

“Leave Frank alone, Leo. As if you’re doing any better.”

“I could be if we weren’t here arguing over a lame pool table and actually doing something. Someone get Jason. Why isn’t he here, anyway?”

“Enough,” Chiron said. “Fighting amongst ourselves will not resolve anything. Annabeth, we will shelve the plan for a failsafe team until we get a better idea of how things will unfold. Mr. Valdez, please do not insult my pool table.”

Leo sat back in his chair, folding his arms and looking between them all. “I’m not saying it’s not a good pool table. Could use a robot announcer for keeping track of stats, though,” he muttered.

“If I ever need it, I’ll let you know,” Chiron nodded at him. “In the meantime, we haven’t heard from two of our party in a long while. Anything to add, Nico? Will?”

Everyone turned to look at them. All seven of them.

“Um,” Nico said. He had tuned out of the conversation a few minutes into the arguing, only catching the last bit of the conversation just now. “Not really.”

Annabeth, who Nico had been quickly introduced to only an hour earlier, seemed to lose a bit of her patience. Her eyebrow twitched at least, and her cold grey eyes grew more indignant. “Chiron, please reconsider.”

“I value your tactical knowledge, Annabeth, thank you for the input,” Chiron said simply.

Nico caught Leo mouthing something along the lines of “Damn, shut down!” silently, just out of Annabeth’s line of sight.

Percy leaned over to Nico on his left. “Don’t take it personally. She’s pretty nice once she warms up to you,” he said quietly. Nico simply nodded but didn’t turn to look at him.

“The best we can do is arm our friends with all the supplies and knowledge we can and send them on their way,” Chiron stated, looking around at each of them with a sharp eye. When he reached Nico and Will, though, he seemed to soften a little. Maybe he knew how doomed they were. “I’ll leave you to it. My presence is needed at the League.”

The silence that followed was awkward for everyone, especially after Chiron left the room. No one said anything, and the only one actually doing something was Annabeth, who was shooting daggers at Nico with her eyes. Nico had no doubt that she could wield real daggers if given the chance, which was a scary thought.

“Cool. So,” Percy clapped his hand on Nico’s back. “How many badges do you have?”

“Five.”

“But Frank _gave_ him one, so four, technically,” Leo said sardonically, rolling his eyes and resting his head on the pool table. “Seriously, though, where’s Jason?”

“He earned it,” Hazel snapped, ignoring Leo’s question as she shifted in her seat next to Frank. “Just like he earned it from your challenge.”

Leo only gave a thumbs-up, resting his head on the table.

“Right. Well, that’s good. So, uh … how about that prophecy, huh?” Percy said slowly, apparently realizing he didn’t have anything to say.

“It’s so cryptic,” Annabeth said. “Nothing to go by, no indication of where to go, nothing. ‘The sky and ground, destined to meet’ implies a location, or a geological event. If it’s destined, then it could be an astronomical event.” She stood up suddenly, eyes darting between Nico and Will. “I need to go check some things.”

Without another word, Annabeth left the room.

Nico felt like an intruder in this space. Everyone here clearly had history with each other, and although he’d met each one of them individually (Hazel for his whole life and Annabeth for two seconds, at least), as a collective group, Nico felt strange. They’d all been through a lot together, that much was clear.

“What’s her deal?” Will asked after a few seconds of silence.

“Worried,” Piper sighed, pushing some strands of hair out of her face. “Just like all of us. Don’t take it to heart – she means well.” She stood up from the table and pushed her chair in. “But Chiron wanted you to get caught up to speed. So, where to start?”

“Those Roselias we fought in Azelf’s Temple,” Hazel spoke up. “We were able to find out what was happening with them. Before, in the old days, Pokemon like them would run around causing havoc, mind overwhelmed with chaos. For all intents and purposes, they were monsters. No care for life or anything. The one true consistency they all have with one another are their desire to … well, _hunt_ things. Very primal instincts. They’re attracted to mythical power, as well.”

“Which makes _us_ their easiest targets,” Frank finished, a grim expression on his face.

“Let’s just hope they don’t start popping up more frequently, then,” Piper chimed in.

Leo slammed a fist into the table. “Thanks, Piper. _You’ve jinxed us._ Now we're screwed.”

Piper stuck her tongue out at him.

Nico watched with a feeling of growing dread. How could they be so calm and joking about this stuff? Dropping information bombs like it was nothing, like what they were saying was just another day. Though realistically, it probably _was_ just another day, even if the stakes were a little higher this time (if Annabeth’s mood was anything to go by). He needed to have a serious conversation with Hazel.

“Can we hurry it up a bit?” Percy said impatiently. “I don’t know if Annabeth’s gone off the deep end or calmed down. I need to go find her.”

Piper tapped her foot. “What next, though?”

“The superpower part is good,” Leo grumbled.

“They’re not superpowers,” Piper said, rolling her eyes.

“I mean, technically they kind of are, though,” Percy chimed in.

“Okay, whatever you want to call them,” Piper said, turning to Nico and Will. “Everyone here has an Olympian parent. Olympians get their power from their patron Pokemon, right? Well, their kids can draw out some of that power, too, except on a more limited scale.”

“I’m not following,” Will said.

“Percy’s Pokemon have unusually strong control over water, even when there’s not a lot to go around. Leo’s got a knack for building stuff and he’s a bit of a pyromaniac, as I’m sure you know from his Gym design–“

“I prefer the term ‘pyro-enthusiast’, thanks.”

“Point is,” Piper said, ignoring Leo. “You’ve got a thing, too. You’re an Apollo kid, right? It’ll probably be something to do with healing and the like.”

Nico eyed Will from the corner of his eye. He didn’t look too great, if the slight frown on his face was anything to go by.

“Our parents can do a lot of things without a Pokemon. It’s kind of like they have powers of their own, but it’s technically the power of their Legendaries. But with their kids – us – it’s different. It’s more like boosting an aspect of our Pokémon’s power beyond normal capacities. As a general rule, we also kinda pick up on their ‘skills’, I guess. Example: Leo.”

“Heya,” Leo said.

“I think that’s it,” Piper looked from one person to another. She didn’t exactly do a good job at letting it sink in or leaving room for questions. It must have been common knowledge to them. “There’s more things, but I’m not sure where to continue.”

The room was silent as they tried to come up with more information to share.

"I think I need some fresh air," Will said, looking around the room before getting up and leaving. Hazel looked at Nico with questioning eyes. Nico returned the stare, confused himself. The day had been going fine so far.

After nobody tried to continue, Nico slipped out of the room to look for Will outside.

He found him sitting at the edge of the sidewalk, staring at the pavement. Will didn’t look up as Nico sat down next to him. He looked angered and frustrated, but with a conflicting tone of resignation. Nico wasn’t the best at reading people, but he liked to think that he could read Will pretty well at this point.

And while Nico didn’t like it when people approached him when he was bothered, he knew Will was a different story. Even so, Nico let the small town’s ambiance fill the air as Will continued to look down at the ground.

He could ask a variety of things. “What’s wrong?” or “Everything alright?” were potential choices, but Nico knew the answers to them. Everything was wrong, and nothing was alright – that much was true in the situation they found themselves in. Finding little point in either question, Nico didn’t ask. Instead, he leaned against Will’s shoulder.

“This all sucks,” Will said after a while. “All of it. The prophecy thing sounds like doomsday. The dangers that come with it sound deadly.”

“That’s not what you’re angry about, though,” Nico guessed. Will tensed for a second before sighing.

“No, it’s not.”

Will stood up, walking towards Route 2 before looking back at Nico, expecting him to follow. Nico got up and jogged to his side. They walked for a few feet with no real direction in mind. The people in Chiron’s lab could wait. The whole world could wait – nothing was more important than this right now.

“It’s just – lately, it’s just been ‘you’re Apollo’s kid?’ and ‘you’re one of Apollo’s?’, or ‘you look just like Apollo’. It’s getting tiring.” Will grimaced. Before he could continue, a Sentret walked out of the forest looking dazed. Nico couldn’t tell what was wrong with it just by looking at it, but Will murmured, “Poison ailment” and walked towards the Pokemon, completely unfazed.

Nico watched as Will crouched down in front of the Pokemon, pulled out his Berry pouch, and fed the Pokemon a pink-colored Berry. He waited a bit before taking out an Oran Berry and flicking the thing into the air, where the Sentret caught it. Looking pleased, the Pokemon gave an appreciative yelp before scurrying back into the forest. Nico caught a glimpse of Will’s somber smile, but it quickly faded into a frown. Will stayed crouched as he continued to look into the forest.

“I’ve spent my whole life trying to do my own thing, be my own person. Someone who didn’t have to rely on his almighty dad to get places – you saw how he acted back in Bellus. Was willing to break the rules and everything. But it didn’t matter, because as it turns out, the one thing I’m good at, Apollo can claim responsibility for it, too.”

“That’s not true. You know that,” Nico said.

“Isn’t it, though? Apollo, Olympian of Healing, wouldn’t pass on something related to that to his son? You heard Piper,” Will grimaced, still crouching down. “It’s a trait that was passed down.”

Just then, the Sentret came running back out from the forest, climbing Will’s arm in alarm. Nico felt as confused as Will looked. Nico only had time to see Will’s look of sudden realization.

In a blur of movement and a flash of red light that caught Nico off guard, another Pokemon came rushing out of the forest at the same time as Will unhooked a PokeBall and called out Psyduck in one quick motion.

The Water-type swiped its hands at the attacker, causing the wild Pokemon to stumble. Nico finally recognized it as a fully-evolved Furret, one with immense rage in its eyes.

Without a second thought, Nico called out to his own Pokemon. “Cubone, Bone Club –“

But Cubone wasn’t there. They had left both Igglybuff and Cubone back at the lab while they were having their meeting. Nico cursed under his breath, trying to unhook Murkrow’s PokeBall. But the Fates were being some real pieces of work today. The PokeBall wouldn’t unhook from his belt, and Aron wouldn’t be of any help.

Will had stumbled backward as Psyduck released a pressurized jet of water at the Furret. The Pokemon hissed and sidestepped the Water-type, making a lunge for Will.

Will kicked the Pokemon just in time, knocking the Furret back. Probably more annoyed than injured, the Furret hissed once more and ran back into the woods – or at least tried to before Psyduck attacked with another stream of water that sent it flying into the bushes.

Nico quickly helped Will up and guided him back into town, away from the open road of Route 2. “That was close.”

“Yeah,” Will sighed, shaking his head. “Piper really did jinx us.”

Nico looked back into the forest where the Pokemon had sprung out from. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw a streak of brown on Will’s arm, but it turned out to be the Sentret from earlier. The Pokemon nuzzled its cheek against Will’s hair, looking pleased. After making sure the Furret wasn’t about to jump them again, Nico turned to Will.

“Listen, Will. I don’t know what you’re feeling, and I can’t pretend to. But you know what I do know? Even if Apollo passed on some things down to you, you’re the one who’s put in the effort, the time, and the care into it. Without the – the knack for the medical stuff, you’re still great with Pokemon, and a great trainer. I mean, look at what you _just_ did!” Nico gestured toward Route 2. “No normal Breeder could do that. You’re smart and witty, you’re … you. I like that,” Nico managed to say, the words coming to him as he spoke them. “You’re a pretty badass boyfriend.”

Will didn’t say anything. Instead, he embraced Nico in a sudden hug, tell him everything that Will wasn’t saying aloud. Over his shoulder, Nico could see Leo staring at them from the front steps of the Lab, giving him a thumbs-up. But Piper put an end to that quickly: she peeked out of the door, saw what was going on, and dragged Leo back in. Nico rolled his eyes before returning Will’s hug.

“We should get back to the Professor’s,” Will said.

“We don’t _have_ to.”

Will chuckled, his mood having lifted immensely. “But we _should_.”

Nico sighed, but agreed. “Let’s make it fast, then. I can’t wait for them to drone on and on about life or death as we know it.”

The Sentret stayed on Will's arm as they walked to the Lab. Nico wasn't sure if it wanted to be caught or if it was just chilling with them. If it was the second option, Chiron probably wouldn't mind a guest staying in the Lab for a while.

 

* * *

 

When they had returned to the lab, everyone had been much easier to talk to. They concluded the day by agreeing to meet tomorrow and made promises to help make sure everything would go smoothly. Feeling better about himself, Will was happy to head back to the Daycare, just in time to go out and see Nico eat an absurd amount of food for dinner. Take-out really was a luxury he never thought of before.

The light from the Daycare’s front porch didn’t illuminate as much as Will would have liked. The darkness and everything living within it seemed to be at bay, waiting to pounce at the right moment. Will had closed the curtains and locked the front door, using all three locks for the first time in his life.

The Daycare’s charges had been locked into their shelters for the night, as well. He even made sure that Sudowoodo would be on guard duty by the window from within the house, just in case. The world seemed to be a scarier place now.

Will came out of the bathroom with a towel, drying his matted wet hair. After a long, _long_ day, he felt refreshed. He even had a different set of sleepwear thanks to his drawer full of clothes, which had shirts and pants he didn’t take when he originally left.

“Are you going to stay up late, Will?” his mother asked.

Will shook his head. “No, I think I’ll turn in for the night in a bit. What about you, Nico?”

“I’ll stay up for a little while longer. Don’t worry about me,” Nico said from his spot on the couch.

“Where’s he gonna stay?” Will asked.

His mom stashed the last of the Daycare’s paper work into a filing cabinet before answering. “In your room, of course. Well, don’t stay up for too long, you two. See you both tomorrow. It’s been a pleasure having you, Nico.”

“Oh! Where’s the inflatable mattress?” Will asked, tapping his foot and giving his mother a quizzical look.

She gave him a raised eyebrow in return as if saying, “Really, William?” and bid them both good night. Will remained at the front desk, wondering if his own mother had just outed him. She was pretty nonchalant about it, like most things.

Once her door closed, Will pushed himself off of the counter and looked at Nico, gesturing towards his room. Nico nodded and got up. Unlike other nights, he was actually wearing proper sleepwear – a pair of grey shorts and a black shirt.

_‘He really needs to lighten up his wardrobe,’_ Will thought.

Will opened the door to his room and flicked the light on. If he was honest, he felt a little self-conscious with Nico here. The books on his shelf were haphazardly placed in their spots, his desk was cluttered with notes he had taken on some Daycare things, his lava lamp looked like it hadn’t been turned on in forever, and his computer had a fine layer of dust on it.

Igglybuff was perched at the top of the shelf, snoring lightly. Cubone was curled up into a ball in the corner of the room by Will’s desk. Nico and Will were probably the only two awake in the house right now, considering that his mom usually fell asleep the second she touched the bed.

“Can you play that?” Nico asked, pointing to a dusty guitar in the corner of his room which was keeping the book shelf from toppling over.

“Maybe a little. It’s been a while, though. And it’s the only thing keeping this whole room together. Everything’ll fall apart like a Rube Goldberg machine if I move it,” Will explained, laying down on his bed. He had forgotten how springy the mattress was.

Nico snorted. “Interesting design choice.”

“You know – me,” Will stuttered as Nico climbed into bed with him.

“No other bed to sleep in,” Nico said casually, as if they hadn’t been sharing the bed in the PokéCenters since the night they had encountered Gaea. Which meant Will should have been used to it by now, but his heart still did a little backflip every time. And something about tonight made it pound even more. Maybe it was the fact that they were in his room, or that the bed wasn’t meant for two that made it seem much more intimate. His heart was having a hell of a time, though.

“How’re you feeling?” Nico asked, so close that Will could feel the warmth he was giving off.

Will replied with a couple of content kisses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up! There won't be an update next week because I'm settling into the new school year. New dorm, new schedule, newfound regret for poor sleeping habits, etcetera! I wish I had been able to spend more time on this chapter.
> 
> Thanks for reading, it means so much!
> 
> Cheers, happy September!


	19. The Start of the Rainbow

Will opened his eyes wearily, squinting to stop the red blare of his alarm clock from blinding him. It read 5:33 A.M. on a Monday.

Will yawned, trying to stretch but stopping when he realized that Nico had his arm comfortably wrapped around Will’s chest. Will smiled, recalling how much of a stranger Nico was for physical contact with other people. The fact that Nico was different with him made him feel a pleasant sort of tingle in his chest, right about where Nico’s hand lay now.

Quietly and carefully, Will lifted Nico’s arm and got out of bed. The mattress creaked beneath their weight, but otherwise only Igglybuff’s soft snoring filled the room. It was less of a snore and more of a puff of air every few seconds, actually.

His mom would be awake any minute now, so Will walked out into the hallway and down to the kitchen on his right. The cold marble floor against his bare feet made him skip from one end of the kitchen to get to the coffee maker.

Within minutes, the smell of coffee wafted through the kitchen and into the hallway after Will finished setting the machine up. The _smell_ of coffee was nice. The _taste_ , though, was atrocious. He was definitely doing something wrong for that to happen.

Hopping from foot to foot, Will looked around the kitchen to see if anything was new. He didn’t really pay attention the night before. There wasn’t, except for a few pieces of non-Daycare related mail and a few pages of ads on the counter. Will sifted through the propaganda with no real intention in mind, only to pass the time.

He had gotten to the page on the specials for pasta and bread when he heard someone walk into the kitchen.

“I thought you didn’t like coffee,” Nico said groggily, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Like most mornings, his hair was messily sticking out at odd angles. Truly one of the best things in Will’s life.

“This is for my mom,” Will said, walking up to Nico and brushing some of his hair out of his face. “Good morning, by the way. You’re looking as dashing as ever.”

The moment was short-lived. As soon as they heard the sound of a door opening in the hallway, Nico quickly pulled away and took interest in something else, his cheeks red. Will knew that his mom wouldn’t care – hell, he knew that she knew, or at least she suspected it – but even with that, the situation was on the list of top ten awkward things for your parent to walk in on.

“Morning, mom,” Will called out into the hallway, trying to recover from the initial wave of embarrassment. A few seconds later, his mother popped her head into the doorway.

“Good morning Will, Nico,” she said in a soft voice. “Do I smell coffee?”

“Ready to serve,” Will turned the machine off and took the coffee pot out before holding out a mug.

“You’re a gem, Will, thank you,” his mom said as she took the mug and preparing her coffee. “What’s the plan for today? Are you leaving or staying for a little while longer?”

“Not sure. We’ve got a thing going on at Professor Chiron’s, and I’m not sure if that’ll go somewhere or not. Sorry, mom.”

“No worries, no worries. Just let me know if you do, alright?”

Will nodded before turning his attention to the cupboards. He dug around them until he found a couple of small boxes of cereal. He tossed one to Nico and took one for himself. He hadn’t had Swirlix Swirls in a while. “When does Cecil get here?”

“In a bit. He had a lot of trouble getting up early at first, but he’s gotten the hang of things.”

Will nodded, gesturing for Nico to follow him to his room.

He took the time to cycle out his wardrobe, replacing shirts that he had gotten tired of wearing. Once fully dressed, he woke up Igglybuff and waited for Nico by the Daycare’s counter down the hall. His mom had already started going about some of the daily chores, and Will was dying to go and help her. But Cecil had to do _something_ to get paid.

Somebody knocked on the door, making Igglybuff open its eyes just as it was about to fall asleep again.

_‘Right on time,’_ Will thought, opening the door.

It wasn’t Cecil. Instead, Annabeth stood in the doorway, her stoic grey eyes not trying to kill him for the first time since he met her. Will couldn’t stop his smile from disappearing. He felt kind of bad because of it.

“Hi,” Annabeth said awkwardly. Her voice lacked that sharp edge. “I’m sorry about yesterday. I owe you two a full apology. Can you come to Chiron’s lab with me?”

“Uh, sure,” Will replied, turning to look out the back window. “Just give us a few minutes. Come in, if you like.”

“I’ll wait out here. Thanks, though.”

Annabeth was a fast walker. Faster than Will would have liked, at least. After hastily rushing out of the house, they were now on their speedy way to Chiron’s lab. They left so fast, Nico had not only completely pulled on two different pairs of socks, but Will had grabbed the wrong jacket for Nico to wear.

“You look good,” Will said offhandedly. The jacket was a size too big for Nico, but he still looked good.

“I look like a Jolly Rancher,” Nico scoffed.

“But I wear that.”

Nico snickered, ducking away as Will frowned at him. Igglybuff seemed to get a kick out of the whole thing. At this point in their journey, the pink puffball had proven itself a traitor more times than he could bother to remember.

“I stayed up all night looking for a lead on the prophecy and I’m positive I have a solution,” Annabeth said, oblivious to it all. “I haven’t told anyone yet, though. Well, except Percy, but that’s because he was with me. I was hoping to make amends for yesterday, and I wanted you two to be the first to know as a sign of good faith.”

“Thanks,” Nico said in a dull tone.

“It really means a lot,” Will added hastily. “So, what did you find?”

Annabeth looked between the two before explaining. “I was half right when I said geological event. It’s actually a natural phenomenon, a.k.a. a Legendary. The phenomenon describes a shimmering gold-washed rainbow touching down upon the top of a mountain. I think that’s the first part of the prophecy.”

“The sky meeting the ground part,” Will added. “It could just be a metaphor for the rainbow landing on the mountain.”

Annabeth smiled, nodding. “And the rainbow is a metaphor for Ho-Oh. Based on the ancient stories, Ho-Oh travels from one end of Olympia to another once every ten years, granting prosperity to those who can reach it at the end of its flight.”

“Seems simple enough,” Will commented, his confidence growing. A little hike up a mountain didn’t seem so bad.

“So, what’s the catch? There’s no way ‘great prosperity’,” Nico said with air quotes, “is so easy to get.”

Sighing, Annabeth shook her head. She was probably hoping to avoid talking about it. “I’ll tell you more about that when we tell the others. We’re basically here, anyways.”

Will turned his attention to his surroundings. They were at the end of Route 2 already, nearing Chiron’s place right around the corner.

They entered the lab and rounded about the desk, heading towards the lounge-like room in the back from yesterday. Will was certain that Chiron was a fan of summer cabins. Every room besides the main entrance looked like one.

“Everyone’s already here,” Annabeth said as she opened the door, revealing five familiar yet tired looking faces. Hazel perked up and smiled at Nico from her spot next to Frank, Piper shook herself awake from her spot leaning against the wall, and Percy was still snoring lightly in a reclining chair beside the window.

“Why have you done this to me,” Leo muttered in the corner of the room. “I didn’t sleep at all last night.”

“That makes six of us,” Annabeth said coolly, shaking Percy awake.

“Not the Horsea,” Percy muttered groggily as he woke up. He looked around before clearing his throat and sliding his chair over to the pool table, waving hello to them in an attempt to cover up.

Will and Nico took seats in a secluded part of the lounge, away from the pool table in the middle. For some reason, there was an arcade machine sitting there, jingling and beckoning them to play. Will couldn’t help but entertain the thought of the good professor playing Dig-Dug. Igglybuff climbed onto the controls and began pushing buttons.

As Annabeth began to catch everyone else up on what she had told them, Will turned to Nico, lowering his voice. “What do you think?”

“I think she’s sugar-coating it. That there’s actually more that she doesn’t want to say, and that she still doesn’t entirely trust us to do whatever she thinks we need to do,” Nico whispered, his tone a bit aggressive. He looked annoyed more than anything, though.

“Wow. That’s a lot to think about.”

“How much do you want to bet that she’s going to tell us all the caveats now, when she’s got five other people to back her up?”

“I think she means well, though,” Will looked over to the rest of the room. Annabeth was explaining the situation with more detail, but Percy looked like he was barely staying awake.

Nico shrugged as he watched Cubone doze off. Will really wanted to do a check-up on that Pokémon. “They probably all do.”

Will turned his attention back to the rest of the room.

“Seems simple enough,” Leo said.

“Hardly,” Annabeth replied. “The mountain in question lies in the Othrys mountain range.”

“Othrys?” Percy asked, alarmed. “You didn’t say anything about Othrys.”

“Relax, it’s not on Mount Othrys itself. It just shares the same mountain range.”

“That’s not much of an assurance.”

“What’s wrong with Othrys?” Will asked.

No one said anything as they exchanged nervous glances between each other.

“There was a big problem there a while back,” Frank spoke up for the first time. “The trouble’s gone now, but it’s still a bad place to go to.”

“Let’s just fly there, save us the trouble,” Leo proposed. “Charizard’s more than up for the job.”

“Not that easy,” Percy said as he spun in his chair, tapping his feet. He was fully awake now. “The mountain’s dangerous for a reason. It messes with the life force of Pokémon and people over time. Pokémon become too weak to do much of anything, especially flying, and people who spend too much time there can’t recover. And it’s also a no-Teleport zone.”

“It’s a three-day hike,” Annabeth said. “A simple in and out. Rotom, have you finished those calculations?”

A Pokémon Will hadn’t noticed before flew over to Annabeth. The plasma Pokémon was haunting a laptop, it seemed, emblazoned with a triangular-shaped rune like the ones they had seen in the Temple of Azelf. All Will knew was that the symbol was a delta.

Rotom sparked as the laptop monitor showed a steady stream of numbers, data, and other things Will couldn’t ever hope to understand. But Annabeth seemed to get it.

“We have two days and eighteen hours.”

“Well, we tried. Back it up everybody, good effort,” Leo said, standing up and pushing his chair in.

“We’ve faced worse odds before,” Percy pointed out. Whatever that meant. Will had to wonder if their normal lives were always full of these kinds of life-or-death experiences. “This is nothing.”

Nico gave Will an “I told you so” look. Will only sighed, looking around the room. He didn’t know these people. And yet, he felt like he could trust their experience and judgment, even if they weren’t that trusting in Nico and Will’s own capabilities. He wouldn’t trust the fate of the world to himself, either.

“Let’s go then. Two days isn’t a lot of time to work with,” Will said dully, resigning to the whim of fate.

Annabeth gave him a nod. Will felt like there was a sense of appreciation in that gesture somewhere.

 

~

 

The wind rushing into his face didn’t let Will think. All he knew was that he felt wet, cold, and was clinging for dear life atop Leo’s Charizard. The Fire-type was flying through the air at speeds Will didn’t even want to think about, over clouds and around other flying Pokémon in the sky.

Leo had the ingenious suggestion of traveling on his Charizard from Chiron’s place to the northern coast where the Othrys mountain range was. Apparently, it was the furthest place from Mount Olympus, where the League was located at. The furthest from the Olympian’s power. The two places were polar opposites in every way.

“It’s getting colder,” Will muttered, his teeth chattering. Even though Charizard was warm, the cold still nipped at his hands and face the further they went. Igglybuff’s head popped out of a satchel Will had been able to snatch. Annabeth had advised him to travel lightly.

“Almost there,” Leo called out. He was having the time of his life, directing Charizard with unnecessary gusto.

The Fire-type let out a billowing stack of flames as it circled around and nose-dived towards the ground. Will felt his whole body twisted into knots as they fell for a few seconds before Charizard broke into a glide, landing in a clearing by a cliffside.

Leo hopped off, patting Charizard’s hide. “That was fun.”

Will unclipped the saddle’s seatbelt and slid off onto the ground, breathing a sigh of relief. At least Leo had the common sense to even _put_ a saddle on his Pokémon. Apparently, he used to ride Charizard without one.

Nico landed on the ground next to him, shivering. Cubone didn’t seem too bothered, though.

“Guess you’re glad for the jacket now, huh?” Will asked.

“Yeah, now I’m a warm Tic-Tac,” Nico said sarcastically. “Because my jacket couldn’t do the same thing.”

The sky was a muddy grey color, which added to the desolate, lifeless feeling of their surroundings. The rocky clearing only had a couple of dead trees and a few sprigs. The only thing that was remotely appealing was the familiar ocean smell that came from the coast, even if they couldn’t see it from where they were.

“They should be here any minute now,” Leo said as he looked over the cliffside.

Right on cue, Will spotted the flaming blur of Hazel’s Rapidash as it scaled the terrain. When the Pokémon came to a stop a few feet away, Hazel, Frank, and Piper all climbed off of it. Hazel fed Rapidash a chunk of metallic stuff and brushed the Pokémon’s neck before turning her attention to them. “Have Percy and Annabeth not arrived yet?”

“No,” Leo shrugged. “You’d think traveling by Gyarados on the ocean current express wouldn’t take so long, right?”

They waited almost half an hour for them to show up. Truthfully, Will was too busy talking to Nico to notice them as they walked into the clearing, covered in brambles and dirt.

“What happen to you two?” Piper asked.

“Surprisingly, Water-type Pokémon cannot climb mountains,” Percy said. “We had to walk.”

“We’re here now,” Annabeth sighed. “We need to split into groups. Quests aren’t meant for more than four usually, and with so many of us in one spot, we just set off the dinner bell for every enraged Pokémon in the area.”

“Alright, teams! I call team captain,” Leo held his hand into the air. “Who’s in?”

“Percy and I can go with Will and take the west side,” Hazel suggested. “Ocean’s closer and we cover each other’s backs pretty well.”

Piper agreed, adding, “And Annabeth and I can go with Nico through this south side. Which leaves –“

“Aw man, why do I get stuck with Frank?” Leo burst out. “No offense, man. But can we trade?”

“Let’s take a breather, then we can be on our way,” Percy said. Everyone seemed to agree.

As they all dispersed, Will stood there, dumbstruck. For a second, the thought of splitting up didn’t kick in. But once it did, he began to regret choosing to come here.

Will turned immediately. “Nico –“

“We’ll be fine,” Nico interrupted, placing a hand on Will’s arm hesitantly. “I told you there’d be caveats.”

“Maybe we can try talking to Annabeth and change up the way groups are split.”

“It’s probably not going to work. Two experienced people per one of us. Just – be safe, okay?”

“I should say that to you,” Will said with a weak smile. “You’re the reckless one.”

Nico sighed, ruffling his own hair.

“You could go for a haircut.”

“Thanks, mother.”

They stared at each other suddenly, as if the reality that they weren’t going to see each other for two days had finally set in. The sleepy morning they had shared seemed like a long time ago and a lifetime away before Will could enjoy it again.

Will didn’t take his eyes off of Nico as he, Percy, and Hazel walked away, heading west. When he finally disappeared behind the cliffside, Will let out a sigh. There was a long road ahead of him.

Why had he agreed to this?

 

* * *

 

 

The climb wasn’t particularly hard. He didn’t really mind the feeling that the mountain gave off, either. It was exactly as Percy had described it. Simply being here made him feel sluggish and tired, the kind that eventually leads to a sense of desperation. Percy had said that Pokémon were more vulnerable to the mountain’s effect, but Cubone was fairing pretty well. The Pokémon was keeping a steady pace, at any rate.

They hadn’t encountered a single Pokémon on the trail yet. In fact, the road was completely empty. Nico could already hear Will joking about how they wouldn’t have to deal with annoying young trainers stopping them every few feet.

_‘It’s like your wildest dream come true,’_ he would have said. Nico sighed. He really wasn’t used to this anymore.

The rock formations became steeper and harder to climb as they made their way up. But other than that, it was mainly a repetitive trek. Piper would offer Nico some water every once in a while. They would stop for a small break. Annabeth would stop and mark their progress by creating a small rock stack by the wayside. Over and over, until they reached a flat clearing on the mountain.

It was evening now.

The clearing was barren but split into two different roads, both leading into caves. The cavern walls looked badly scratched and scorched, as if a battle had taken place there.

As Annabeth and Piper discussed where to go next, Nico fell back and kneeled next to Cubone.

“Hey. How’re you holding up, buddy?” Nico asked the Pokémon.

Cubone nodded, holding its club up in assurance. “Cu!”

“Let me know if you start feeling weak. The roots that Will gave us should help,” Nico patted a pouch on the small black rucksack he was carrying. It contained a couple of the not-Energy Roots that Will had managed to dig up before they left. They weren’t sure if it would help stop their Pokémon from feeling weak, but they had to try. Will had given one to everybody before pulling Nico aside and giving him a couple extra. “Just in case,” he had said.

Cubone nodded, yawning. Will had mentioned that the Pokémon was being unusually sleepy.

“Have you been sleeping much?”

Cubone nodded again, which made Nico slightly worried. He patted the Pokémon on its head. It had been a while since it was just the two of them on their own. Piper and Annabeth didn’t really count.

Suddenly, the caves behind him began to echo with the sound of running footsteps and fierce growling. Nico quickly stood up and turned to face the source of the racket. Annabeth and Piper had also taken defensive positions.

Nico could make out the faint crackling light of electric static. Immediately after, a Manectric came sprinting out of the cave alongside a person. His purple shirt was torn and charred and his blonde hair looked like it had been singed.

“Jason?” Piper asked incredulously.

The person stopped in his tracks, apparently forgetting what he was running from. “Piper? What’re you doing –“

An enraged Rhyperior burst out of the cavern, crumbling large chunks of the cave out, its enormous frame towering over them. Nico had never seen a Rhyperior before, but something told him they weren’t usually this big.

The Pokémon raised its rocky fist and swung it down, trying to swipe at the blonde guy. He dodged it with impressive form, like he’d done it many times before. Cubone had taken the chance to jump onto the swinging fist, using its momentum to launch itself into the air.

Before the Rhyperior could make another attack, Cubone came crashing down onto its thick skull with a Bone Club attack, knocking the Rock-type face first into the floor with a ground-shaking thud.

“Manectric,” the blonde guy called out. His Pokémon leapt forward and delivered an Ice Fang attack on the Rhyperior’s body, knocking the enraged Pokémon out.

Nico took a deep breath as the dust settled. Cubone came back to him, looking significantly more tired than before. Othrys really did drain energy quickly.

“Jason, what are you doing here?” Piper asked.

“Investigating a lead I got. What are _you_ guys doing here?”

“Probably following the same lead.”

“Ho-Oh touching down on one of the mountain peaks?”

“Yeah, that’s the one. How did you find out about that?”

“Well, ever since that explosion in Arbor Town I was tasked to find anything I could about Gaea’s reappearance. I heard people talking about the rainbow on the mountain and I thought it was suspicious, so –“

“Wow, you didn’t even need a prophecy to get here.”

“There’s a prophecy? Since when?”

Nico rolled his eyes and tuned the conversation out, choosing to look off at the hazy land below them. Cubone sat down next to him, looking worn down. They would need to wait a little while longer before Nico could give the Pokémon one of the Energy Roots, or else they’d run out too quickly to last the trip.

The trio behind him had really started to talk animatedly, but Nico didn’t really care. He simply wasn’t interested in any part of their discussion. Gods, he missed Will. Nico wasn’t one to pass up a silent moment to himself, but this felt strangely lonely.

“Hope he’s alright,” Nico muttered to Cubone.

“Cu. Cubone,” the Pokémon replied.

Nico knew that Will would have a better time going up the mountain. If anything could counteract this place’s leech-like effect on energy, it was Will’s sunny disposition and positive outlook.

Nico waited until the three others finished talking before suggesting they move on. He gave the guy named Jason a short greeting before pressing onward.

The cave was pretty standard as far as caves went. Dark, humid, and disturbingly big. Only this time there weren’t any Zubats, Geodudes, or other annoyances to interfere. Just the company of echoing steps and short conversation that Nico didn’t care for.

Eventually, they found an exit after Jason tripped down a slope. Nico wasn’t really expecting someone like him to trip so unheroically, but then again, the darkness didn’t do any favors.

“There’s some light over here,” he called out from below, brushing himself off.

The rest of the day was uneventful. When they finally found a stopping point in another clearing much higher up the mountain, Nico yearned for something to happen. Anything. A witty joke, playful banter, a small pink Pokémon dancing and chanting its own name. Instead, all he got was a cloudy view, away from the other three and their campfire.

“Hey,” Jason said as he walked up behind him. “May I?”

Nico shrugged, passive-aggressively trying to drive him away. Instead, Jason took it as a sign to go ahead and sit down next to him. His tattered shirt didn’t seem like the ideal clothing to have on a cold mountainside, making Nico thankful for the jacket he was wearing, even if it was a putrid green color. Nico noticed a tattoo that looked like a barcode at first glance on Jason’s forearm.

“I feel like we got off on the wrong foot. I’m Jason.” he held out his hand for a handshake. “Again.”

Nico gave a short nod. “Nico.”

Jason put his hand down when Nico didn’t return the favor, but he persisted. “Nice view, huh?”

If by “nice view”, Jason meant “grey clouds that blocked out everything”, then yeah, it was a nice view.

“Sure, I guess,” Nico replied.

Jason sighed, and Nico could see him trying to come up with something to get the discussion going. He really was being annoyingly persistent. When nothing came, Nico turned his attention back to the clouds.

“Got a special girl back home? I know these quests can cut into personal life really easily.”

“No, not really,” Nico replied. Jason couldn’t have been more wrong. The idea was kind of funny to think about.

Jason sighed again, looking resigned. “Listen, if you ever need someone to confide in or something, don’t hesitate. No one deserves to be the center of this mess. Annabeth might hope you’re not the one who fulfills the prophecy, but I’ve got a feeling that you are, for better or for worse. I’ve been there before, too many times. Just … I know we’re strangers, but if you need a hand, I’ll be a stone’s throw away.”

Jason got up slowly, already turning back towards the place where Annabeth and Piper were talking. His generosity and understanding was unexpected – it wasn’t something Nico would think to hear from _anybody_. He hadn’t even heard it from Hazel, either. And suddenly, Nico felt bad for treating Jason like the way he had done all day.

“It’s a guy,” Nico blurted out. “He’s special, and he’s on this thing, too, but it does kind of cut into our personal lives, I guess.”

Jason nodded, giving him a small grin. “We watch each other’s backs out here. I trust that you’ve got mine.”

Nico nodded slowly.

Alone, with only Cubone to keep him company, Nico looked up at the little pockets of night sky that he could see. It had been a while since he had slept under the open air. The last time had been before Route 10, if he didn’t count sleeping under a tarp in the rain. It seemed like forever ago.

He only hoped that Will was having a calm night, too. This mountain wasn’t so bad.

 

* * *

 

 

“Hurry, come on!” Percy shouted.

Will sprinted through the narrow opening before helping Percy and Hazel push a large boulder to block the entrance. Percy called out his Blastoise to hold the boulder in place. It was a risky move, considering how this place killed a Pokémon’s energy so quickly. The Water-type barely held the boulder back as the enraged Pokémon on the other side bashed against it repeatedly.

“I’ve got an idea! Just hold on!” Hazel held out her hands like some sort of wizard at the boulder. Nothing happened. She tried again and got the same result.

“What are you trying to do?” Will asked, annoyed. They were about to die, and she was pointing at rocks.

“It’s not working!” Hazel said, her voice dripping with worry. “Percy, it didn’t work!”

“Hazel! Focus,” Percy exclaimed, struggling against the rock. “Think!”

Hazel looked around nervously, lost. After a few precious seconds, it looked like an idea came to her, and she fumbled with her belt before calling out her Sableye. “Line the gaps with metal, quick! Percy, we need Houndoom!”

Percy reached for his PokéBall, but the boulder jerked and threw him off balance. “I can’t stop pushing the boulder back – Will, it’s the third PokéBall to the right!”

Will nodded, and a second later he released Percy’s Houndoom.

“Houndoom, blast fire around the boulder!” Hazel called out. The Pokémon looked at Hazel before looking back at Percy.

“Just – just do it!” Percy yelled, jerking forward further as the enraged Pokémon slammed the boulder again.

Houndoom released a steady stream of intense flames around the boulder. They all ducked when the flames reached their feet.

The metal that Sableye summoned had been superheated and cooled rapidly, melding the boulder to the wall. They all sighed in relief as the whole structure held against the enraged Pokémon’s attacks.

“Good idea, Hazel,” Percy wiped his forehead. “I was starting to peter out.”

“That should hold for a while. If we get far enough, maybe we can lose it and get some rest –“

The boulder began to crack with each shake.

“We need to go,” Will let out a shaky sigh as he pointed at the tunnel on the other side of the cave. “Like, now.”

Their Pokémon looked exhausted from the short time they had been out. And for some reason, the enraged Pokémon didn’t seem to be affected by Othrys’ curse. They were running out of steam, and fast. Igglybuff was already down for the count, sleeping in Will’s bag like no tomorrow.

They ran into the tunnel as the boulder continued to break and crack. Will’s legs burned, his heart ached, and he wondered if he’d ever see the sun again. He didn’t even know what time it was – they’d been in the tunnels for so long.

It could have been hours or a day – Will didn’t know. Whenever it was, they were having a terrible time. This mountain was the stuff of nightmares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally got the spell-check to turn the e into an é for Pokémon automatically. Huzzah! It only took a year. Thanks for reading as always!
> 
> Cheers!


	20. Beneath the Rainbow

_Drip. Drip. Drip_.

They held their breath with their backs pressed up against the cavern wall. Droplets of water were dripping from the ceiling and running down Will’s head obnoxiously, but he resisted the urge to wipe them away, too afraid that any sound would give them all away.

Low growls filled the pitch-dark cavern as the monster Pokémon wandered about, searching for them. It was there, but Will couldn’t know if it was inches away from him or on the other end of the cave. Will winced when he felt a gust of gross hot air blow against his face. The smell was horrible, like rotten cabbage and rotten eggs had a kid, which then threw up. Will’s gut revolted and threatened to betray him as he forced down a gag. Update: the thing was centimeters away from his face.

But it quickly moved away, turning to continue its search deeper down the cave. Will’s heart nearly betrayed him, too, beating so hard Will was afraid that the enraged Pokémon would be able to hear it. His muscles ached with an exhausted soreness and his mind was so sleep-deprived he was surprised he hadn’t started hallucinating.

After a couple of minutes in silence, someone to his left moved their foot. It was either Percy or Hazel, but whoever did it really needed to shut up. The raspy friction of gravel on shoe couldn’t have been louder. He heard Hazel gasp quietly, and the sound stopped. Will let out an internal sigh.

Twenty minutes passed, and yet none of them dared to move. If they did, the Pokémon would find them and chase them again. Will didn’t know if he had it in him to do all of it again. After another minute, Percy flipped a flashlight on. It stung Will’s eyes but also revealed the jagged formations of the cavern.

“We have to keep moving,” Percy whispered, taking a step forward. The crunch of pebbles was as equally loud as the last time. So was the next one. But he persisted, eventually reaching a tunnel on the other side of the cavern. Hopefully, it was a different one than the one the thing that was chasing them had gone into.

Slowly, Hazel and Will followed. Will was reluctant. It must have been hours since they first encountered this Pokémon. Will wasn’t even sure what species it was. Only that it was abnormally large, nasty, and unaffected by Othrys’ life-draining curse. Oh, and it was most definitely the chaos-stricken, primal kind that they had encountered before. It didn’t seem to have very good senses, though.

The rock walls were rough and cold. Will stubbed his toe and hit his hand against various chunks of jagged rocks that jutted out from the walls or floor as they walked. He felt miserable.

They rounded a corner that led them through a narrow crevasse in the wall. Crevasses were good. It meant that the monster would have trouble getting to them.

“Just a little more,” Percy whispered. But Will knew he was just saying that. There wasn’t an end to this hell of a cave. Everything was hopeless. Eventually – soon- they would run out of steam and give out. It was only a matter of time.

The tunnels never seemed to change. It was the same path, over and over. It all looked the same in the dark, anyways. Will sighed. The dark didn’t have that same effect on him anymore. Before, he felt terrified of it. Now it felt like nothing.

For a short moment, Will thought about how Nico was. He really hoped that he was fine. That the mountain hadn’t thrown him under the bus and unleashed a monster on him.

“This,” Percy took a shaky breath, “this seems like a good spot to stop.”

He collapsed on the floor, rubbing his eyes and yawning. His hair was matted down from all the running and the bags under his eyes were starting to show a lot more. It was a drastic change in appearance from the confident, laid-back yet powerful look that Percy usually carried. If that was the case, Will probably looked worse.

Will sighed, slumping down onto the floor and running his hand through his hair. “We’re never going to see the light of day again,” he muttered.

“Of course we are,” Hazel whispered back. She was the least affected out of all of them. Sure, she looked worn down and out of breath, but she was significantly better than Percy and Will combined.

“We’re lost,” Will protested.

“We’re not. We’re about a quarter-mile underground in a simple cave system. There’s an exit close by that’ll lead us to the outside. We’ve navigated the worse of the tunnels, so it’ll only get easier from here.”

“How do you ...?” Will began to ask, but trailed off. At this rate, he didn’t care the _how’s_ or the _why’s_. Chances were, it was mythical. That’s what everything was these days.

Their trip had been going easily when they first started scaling the mountain. The only challenge they faced was the steeper slopes that eventually forced them to actually climb, but that was it. No trainers to battle, and no interruptions to be had. Nico would have loved it. But they soon found themselves exploring a cave system that Hazel thought could get them up the mountain faster. It turned out to be a mistake.

Almost immediately after entering the first tunnel, the floor broke beneath them and sending them to a deeper cave system with no way back up. So they had traveled into the cave. It started out alright at first. Besides the daunting dark, it was a walk in the metaphorical underground park. Until they ran into that lumbering Pokémon beast. From there it had all fallen downhill. The thing kept finding them, no matter how many times they ran away. So many hours had gone by. Hours upon hours of running in fear, bumping into rocks and narrowly escaping death. All the while, Othrys’ curse was whittling away at their strength. As it turned out, if you stayed long enough, the mountain could drain a person’s strength, too.

But now they were safe. The monster was never away for this long.

His body began to relax as his heartbeat slowed down. It looked like they had finally lost the thing, and could now get at least a little rest. Will was thankful – his eyes felt so heavy, he could fall asleep in seconds. It was a nice thought that –

_Thud. Thud. Thud._ The cavern walls shook, releasing loose pieces of rock from the ceiling that fell on them. The stones on the floor clattered. Will’s heart started beating faster than ever as a knot formed in his throat.

_‘No. Not again,’_ he thought.

A bellowing roar echoed through the caverns in front of him, followed by the crashing thud of footsteps. It was alarmingly closer than Will would have liked. The enraged Pokémon had found a different way to them.

“This way,” Hazel commanded as she scrambled to her feet, breaking into a sprint. Will pulled Percy up as the Pokémon got closer, his arms and legs burning from exhaustion. But he ran anyway. They reached the end of the tunnel, a new cave barely visible through the darkness. There was cover here, enough to outsmart the enraged Pokémon once again, and they could go – Will’s mind went blank as he realized that his satchel was missing.

“Igglybuff,” he gasped, frantically trying to reach for something that wasn’t there. He had left Igglybuff back there. In his fervor, he tripped on a rock and fell over. The impact brought on an enormous wave of pain that he could add to his growing collection.

Percy tried to reach for him, holding out his hand. But the enraged Pokémon was faster, swiping at Percy and sending him flying backward. Will rolled out of the way instinctively, closing his eyes shut as he felt an enormous figure stepping over him. He waited for the worst, but nothing came. Instead, he felt the Pokémon continue on its way, roaring into the darkness.

In a stunned haze, Will could only listen as Percy yelled something that Will couldn’t understand. His mind was spinning, lost in dizziness from the hit. He then heard Hazel yell, “Percy, no!” before he passed out.

The darkness was as equally black as it was if he had his eyes open. It didn’t make much difference.

 

~

 

Will felt a strange wet sensation on his mouth, though he couldn’t see through the darkness to see why. The numbness didn’t really help, either. He tried wiping his nose with his sweater sleeve and immediately regretted it as a sharp pain coursed through him.

“Broken nose, how are you, my old friend,” Will muttered slowly. His voice was hoarse, as if he had been yelling all day. He sat up, pressing his hand against his forehead. “Headache, check. Dull pains, check. Broken limbs,” he stretched out both his legs and arms. They were sore, but not broken or inflamed. “Absent. Thank gods.”

Will huddled against a corner by the cavern wall, trying to assess the situation. It was eerily silent and dark, as if nothing had been here. He was alone.

He had half the mind to call out for Hazel and Percy, but thought better of it. They were fine. They _had_ to be fine. Percy was tough and Hazel was Nico’s sister –

_‘Nico,’_ Will thought, his name on the tip of his tongue. Despite how dangerous this all was, he wished more than anything to have Nico here with him. He knew he could do anything with Nico at his side, watching his back. Somehow, the dull ache that was caused by thinking of him was greater than the physical pain Will was feeling. Will was lost, and he’d probably never see him again. Or anyone.

After a while, Will stood up. He winced whenever he felt a jab of pain. Unable to see, he shimmied to his left, hoping to reach his satchel. Instead, his foot kicked what Will assumed to be Percy’s flashlight. It didn’t sound like a stone when it clattered against the floor, at least. Blindly, he bent down and searched for a bit before picking it up and turning it on. It had a little juice left, so it would only last a little while longer. The light flickered weakly, illuminating a short distance ahead. It wasn't much help.

Will walked in the direction of his satchel, where Igglybuff was. The Pokémon was either terrified or too weak to care. The energy-draining curse had really messed with Igglybuff. It took Will a while to get there, but he finally reached the bag. The strap had snapped in two and the whole bag was laying against the tunnel wall, untouched. There wasn't any sign of a struggle anywhere - no cracked walls or scratch-marks. It made Will wonder if he had just dreamed it all up and if this was just his personal hell.

Relieved, Will picked the bag up and opened it. Igglybuff was sleeping inside, unaffected by it all. Its body rose up and down slowly with its snores, but the Pokémon didn’t look comfortable. The puffball looked like it was in pain.

_‘Othrys isn’t lethal,’_ he recalled Annabeth saying back at Chiron’s. _‘It’s just … not a great place to be.’_

That was the biggest understatement in recorded history. Maybe even of all time.

“We’re in a real bind now, aren’t we, buddy?” Will whispered. Igglybuff only muttered in its sleep.

Against his better judgment, Will slumped down against the tunnel wall and huddled against it, holding Igglybuff close. There wasn’t anything he could do, and his desperation was growing. He needed to go look for Percy and Hazel. But he didn’t want to. His drive to do anything was gone. Those two could hold their ground, obviously. But _he_ was so unprepared and inexperienced, his presence alone was probably enough to cancel out any sort of advantage they had. Will’s eyes watered, a feeling of dread consuming him. He had been so ready to get this over with. Annabeth was right about them, though - the job was best left to someone else.

“Dad,” he said hopelessly, “I’m sorry I skipped out on you for so many years. Maybe if I wasn’t so stubborn, I could have been more prepared for this, like everyone else. I was just holding them back.”

The darkness didn’t reply, and neither did Igglybuff. He really was alone. Despite the severity of the situation, and despite the real possibility that the enraged Pokémon would be back, Will fell asleep, tears in his eyes.

Darkness greeted Will as he woke up again a couple of hours later. He felt better and well-rested, like he had actually gotten a decent amount of sleep. And his body didn’t feel sore anymore – he felt like he would on any normal day. Better, actually. Any scratch, bruise or broken noses he had gotten during his time on the mountain had disappeared. Surprised, Will stretched his arms. But he didn’t get to enjoy the feeling – his arm brushed up against something that was leaning beside him. It wasn’t a rock.

Alarmed, Will took out Percy’s flashlight and flicked it on. The dim light wasn’t much, but it helped. Beside him was a small string instrument that vaguely resembled an acoustic guitar, but differently shaped, and with a lot more strings. He was pretty sure it was a lute. Beside it was a note with a messy yet elegant handwriting that read:

 

Strongest of them all

You inspire those around you

You can be their light

 

Will looked back at the lute. It was beautifully carved, with a fine wood finish and a gold-painted sun down the middle. Not knowing what else to do, he picked it up and strummed the chords. It wasn’t terribly different from a guitar, though he was really rusty. The lute was pre-tuned, which made things easier, though. Finally, Will managed to play a simple melody. It was a tune that he had known since childhood, because his mother would hum it in her work fairly often. He had learned it by heart on his old guitar before he started to use it as a support for his bookshelf, and yet it still stuck with him. The thing had way too many chords, so he stuck with the ones that were somewhat familiar.

He wasn’t a pro or anything, but it was a small, relaxing comfort in the darkness. Despite knowing that the enraged Pokémon could appear at any second, Will continued playing. After the fourth time that he played the tune, something strange happened. The instrument turned to gold dust, disappearing in his hands. But it didn’t just disappear. The dust seemed to seep into his palms, absorbed by his skin and leaving a golden glow behind.

A note fluttered into his palms from where the instrument had been only a second ago.

 

The blessing of health

Only the worthy can wield

A song can heal all

 

P.S. This wouldn’t fit in the haiku, and you didn’t give me a lot of time to work in, but know that even if this power comes from me, it’s _you_ who makes it work. Strength isn't just in experience, but also in the determination of the heart. Cheesy, I know, but true. I trust you can figure out the rest. – Dad

 

Will stared at the note, baffled. What had just happened?

After a minute of reading the note again and processing it, Will looked over at Igglybuff and then back at the note. Feeling foolish and awkward, he began to sing the words to the tune he was playing just now. There was a strange feeling to the words, almost like the feeling that Igglybuff’s Heal Pulse carried.

Almost immediately, Igglybuff woke up groggily, startling Will.

“Iggs?”

The Pokémon squinted its eyes, trying to see past the flashlight. “Buff?”

“How did you – ” Will paused, deciding not to question it. There would be time for this later. With a newfound determination and a sense of resolve, Will stood up. “Iggs, we have to go find Percy and Hazel. Will you be alright?”

“Buff!” The Pokémon yelled with vigor, throwing its fist into the air.

“Great. Let’s go.”

Igglybuff used Flash before they departed, brightening the whole tunnel with a pink glow. Confident and feeling as good as ever, Will braved deeper into the tunnel. He felt like he understood what Apollo meant. A part of him was a little weirded out about the whole healing thing, though. Was he magic now?

Everything looked the same to him as Will navigated the tunnel. Rock could only look so different, after all. But Will didn’t have to know where he was going. The enormous footsteps on the floor told him everything he needed to know. He followed them down into the cavern where he had last heard Percy and Hazel. They continued on for some time, even onto some brick floor.

Will paused. _‘Brick floor?’_

Last time he checked, brick floors didn’t grow in caves. Nor did he think anyone would build something like that so deep in a secluded part of the region. But there it was, a perfectly crafted brick floor that eventually gave way to some stone brick walls, like the ones in a castle. Will could see very distinctly where these brick floors and walls started – it was impossible not to notice if rugged terrain suddenly turned into geometric, flat roads.

The path only got weirder after that. The brick floor gave way to a marble floor that quickly changed to a different style of stone brick. They passed by a fancy kind of staircase that led to nowhere and a stone statue of a Skarmory that had been broken into pieces. Will felt like he was walking through a Frankenstein of a tunnel, stitched together to form a mess of different architecture. Some parts of the tunnel were just cave, though. It was so visually jarring.

“What the?” Will muttered, losing his confidence to plain confusion. Igglybuff clung to his arm tightly, looking around with equal confusion. Thankfully, the puffball decided against investigating. Will did manage to find a coil of rope on an old wooden bench, which he took. It could be useful later on. For what seemed like hours, Will followed the trail of cracked footsteps through all kinds of styles of architecture. Street lamps, benches, parts of amphitheaters, even a couple of bathroom stalls all stuck out of the ground and walls in some way. Multiple times, Will found himself at a fork in the road, but he stuck to the footprints. 

Finally, he heard a growl and a few grunts through a part of the tunnel that toned down on the random architecture in favor of some standard-looking cave atmosphere. After taking a couple of turns and going through a curvey-looking pillar, he finally reached an opening in the floor to his right. He crouched down and peered into it. The opening was near the ceiling of a new cave.

Below him, he could see Percy and Hazel hanging against a wall, both unconscious. The cavern they were in was wide and open, with little cover, making it hard for the monster to conceal itself. The enraged Pokémon in question was sitting directly beneath them, asleep.

Will was no plan-maker. He was relieved that both Percy and Hazel were safe, but getting them out would be a hassle. Nonetheless, he had to try.

“Stay here,” Will whispered to Igglybuff. The Pokémon jumped off of his shoulder and sat against the wall, clearly not willing to go in there even if Will wanted it to.

Carefully, Will dropped down into the new cavern. The rocky floor crunched lightly beneath his feet, but the monster stayed asleep.

Was he scared? Yep. Was he about to try and save his companions anyway? Definitely. Did he know how? Not a clue.

With Igglybuff’s soft lighting, Will could finally see that the enraged Pokémon was a Rhydon that had grown to an impossible size, its plated armor growing gnarly in some places. Overall, not something Will wanted to mess with.

_‘Alright, Solace, what can we do here…’_ he mused to himself, getting a closer look around. The stuff that was holding Percy and Hazel against the wall looked like a red clay, but Will couldn’t be sure in such low light. In any case, it didn’t look strong. Maybe they could pull themselves out and break the clay.

He crossed the room and found a sturdy looking stalagmite growing from the floor, giving him an idea. Will knew how to make some mean knots, and he was going to help his friends escape with that particular skill. After securing the rope he was carrying around the stalagmite and tying an expertly firm knot, he guided the rope back to Percy and Hazel.

“Guys!” Will whispered. “Guys, wake up!”

Of course, neither of them moved.

“Hey!” Will jumped up, hitting the mud mound they were encased in. Hopefully, he was hitting Percy’s foot. “Wake up!”

The Rhydon behind him began to stir. Panicked, Will’s mind raced for solutions.

_‘A song can heal all,_ ’ Apollo’s note had said. With any luck, the Rhydon had been suffering from insomnia, because this was his best shot.

"Uh," Will began to sing lyrics of random songs he knew, hoping that Apollo’s gift would come into effect.

Miraculously, it did: the Rhydon’s movements slowed and the song lulled it back to sleep. But Will couldn’t remember whole songs at the moment, only snippets of choruses from various songs. And as stupid as he felt, he began singing to a sleeping monster and a pair of unconscious heroes.

He had to look ridiculous. He _had_ to. Delusional, at best. Here he was, singing random pieces of lyrics in the dark as he tried to wake up two people stuck to a wall next to a giant Rhydon. Will became red with embarrassment just thinking about it. The acoustics in the cave was the only good thing about this whole situation.

“Don’t stop me, cause I’m having a good time – Percy wake up! – having a good time! Uh – I’m a shooting star leaping through the skies like a tiger – Hazel! Either of you! Gods, this is frustrating,” Will muttered. The Rhydon immediately began to stir when Will stopped. “Uh – Don’t stop believin’! Hang on to that feelin’!”

Not the most ideal lullaby music, but it was working. His only problem was that he was probably knocking Percy and Hazel out, too. Will hoped that neither of them suffered from insomnia, too and that it was reenergizing them instead. As he awkwardly transitioned to Spice Girls lyrics, he unhooked one of his PokéBalls and chucked it at Percy’s head. It hit him with a clang before coming back down into Will’s hand.

“Ow,” Percy muttered, snapping awake. He looked confused, looking around the room. “Will? Why're you singing?”

Will shook his head in frustration as he continued on, pointing at Hazel and hoping that Percy wouldn’t question it. Thankfully, he didn’t. Percy shook Hazel awake with his only free hand. The other hadn’t been lucky enough to escape from the mud cocoon’s wrath.

“Will?” Hazel asked. “Why are you singing?”

Annoyed, Will pointed at himself and then at the Rhydon, which was barely staying asleep now. They were running out of time. Apparently, everything clicked for her, because she nodded and began trying to pry herself free.

Will tossed the rope end to them as he switched to some Beatles lyrics. Percy caught the rope and immediately started trying to pull themselves free. Will jogged back to the stalagmite’s end and tried pulling on the rope to help them escape.

“Here comes the sun, duh duh duh duh,” Will sang as he pulled on the rope as hard as he could. _‘Heh,’_ he thought. _‘Irony.’_

The mud casing began to crack around Percy and Hazel, and with a final tug the whole thing crumbled to pieces, sending them to the floor.

This time, the noise woke Rhydon up. And no amount of Pop and Rock lullabies were going to lull it back to sleep.

Without skipping a beat, Will ran to the small hole in the wall where Igglybuff was watching and helped hoist Percy up. Behind him, the Rhydon began to gain its bearings. It really was huge, filling most of the room with its body.

“You next,” Will said to Hazel and helping her out. As Hazel climbed out, the Rhydon focused in on Will.

Will grabbed Percy’s and Hazel’s hands as they pulled him out of the cave, just in time to see the Rhydon slam into the cavern wall. It bellowed and paced around the hole, trying to reach them but failing because of its large frame.

Percy gave out a sigh of relief before his eyes landed on Igglybuff, looking shocked.

“Igglybuff? How did –” Percy began.

“We’re not in the clear yet,” Will interrupted, standing up. “We have to get out of here. Come on.”

Will collected Igglybuff before leading them back down the tunnel he had come from. But things looked different now. The brick flooring was gone and he couldn’t find the broken Skarmory statue anywhere. But they did see some Victorian style walls and a random kitchen sink jutting out from the wall next to a fire hydrant. Will had no idea what any of that was supposed to be.

Percy scowled. “No, no – we’re in the Labyrinth! We’re screwed!

“The what?”

“The Labyrinth! Who knows where we’re going – we could end up in Othrys, or on the other side of the region! We need to find an exit _now_! Hazel!”

“I don’t know!” she exclaimed. “Nothing is making sense!”

Will didn’t get what either of them was saying, but they didn’t have time to discuss it. Behind them, the giant Rhydon had emerged from its cave, its thunderous footsteps getting closer. With no other choice but to go forward, they ran closely together. Left, right, past a living room built into a wall, through a volcanic-looking area, another left, right, and right again. Will felt totally lost.

“This way! Over here!” Hazel yelled, pointing at a partially concealed path to their right. They ran and ran, not daring to look back as the Rhydon came closer still. It was right on their heels, and then –

Will felt himself go flying, as if the earth had shot him out of the ground. The next thing he knew, he was on his back and looking up at the stars. Beautiful, jewel-like stars. “What just happened?”

“The Labyrinth kicked us out, I think. And it looks like it kept Ugly back there from following us,” Percy explained.

Will rubbed his eyes, letting out a relieved laugh. “You know what? I don’t even care about what that even means.”

“We’re still on Othrys,” Hazel said, looking at her newly-functional watch. Her words came out almost like a laugh. “Almost at the top. It’s ten o’clock on Tuesday, too.”

They had been in that cave system for more than a day. They had gone in early on Monday and had reappeared on Tuesday night. That was a long, _long_ time that Will would never get back. It had been a living hell.

And Will was happy it was over.

 

~

 

The fire crackled and popped as it slowly burned away at the wood they had managed to scrounge up. The warmth of the flames felt so nice, like a luxury Will hadn’t had the chance to enjoy in years. Heck, even the smell of fresh air felt amazing.

“That’s incredible, Will,” Hazel said, holding a thermos of hot water that was in the process of becoming tea. “Healing powers. It’s rare when an Olympian gives their child a blessing like that.”

Will held his hands up to the fire. “How does it work, though? I thought we had to rely on Pokémon to do mythical stuff.”

“We do,” Hazel stirred her tea. Thank gods for efficient packing. “for most of everything. But remember how Olympians can control certain aspects of the world without a Pokémon? Well, sometimes they give their children a small blessing that allows them to do the same thing. Limited, of course. We don’t go around talking about it much, though. It makes others who don’t have it jealous. And because things never go well for those that receive it if they go boasting about it all the time. Think Heracles and other heroes.”

“Ah,” Will said simply, not really wanting to dwell on mythology much. “Others?”

“Yeah … there’s more than just us. Don’t get the wrong impression, but an Olympian can have lots of children. I know a couple of Apollo kids back in Bellus. That’s not to say Apollo doesn’t care about you, I’m sure he does!”

Will held up a hand. “Hazel, it’s fine.”

Hazel didn’t seem to expect Will’s reaction. “Oh. Are you certain?”

“Yep. I’m cool.”

“Alright. You know, I’m amazed you could use your gift in that cavern. Percy and I couldn’t seem to use ours at all." Hazel held up a hand, looking at it. Will recalled how crazy she looked holding her hands up to that boulder in the cave, way back when. "But I’m more amazed that we're somehow able to use them now.”

Will raised his eyebrows, surprised that they hadn’t mentioned that they had similar blessing-things before. Then again, Hazel _had_ just said they didn’t speak about that openly. Percy must have read his expression, because he answered Will’s question before he could even ask it.

“Water,” Percy said. “My dad’s Poseidon and his patron is Kyogre, the Sea Basin Pokémon. Piper kinda hinted at it when she said I have good control over water.”

Percy pointed at Hazel’s thermos. The water within it rose out of the container and swirled around before dropping back in with a splash.

“That’s really cool,” Will said breathlessly. He was really liking this whole mythical stuff now.

“Not as cool as patching people up with sweet tunes. Nice singing voice, too,” Percy added.

Will chuckled. “What about you, Hazel?”

“I wouldn’t really call it a blessing,” she sighed. That struck a chord in Will as he realized something. A question that he had never bothered thinking about, and one that Hazel was sure to avoid. Who was her (and by extension, Nico’s) Olympian parent? But he stopped himself from asking it. They all had been through a lot in the last thirty-six hours. It was best if he saved it for later.

Instead, Will changed course a little. He cleared his throat, looking up at the pair. "Listen. You guys have to tone it down on the secrecy. And trust us more. I know we're new," Will said quickly as Hazel opened her mouth to argue. "But it'd be nice to all be on the same page."

Neither Percy nor Hazel spoke for a few minutes. Then, Hazel shifted in her spot uncomfortably, saying, "I trust you and I trust Nico. He's my brother, after all. And I know that everyone else trusts both of you, too. I just don't want you two to be affected so much by this prophecy."

"Yeah, but it's pretty clear that you can hold your own," Percy jumped in. "This isn't our prophecy to handle, it's yours. I guess I was hoping that we could help get through it easier. But I think it was the other way around, considering you were the one saving us."

"I'll make a better effort at knowing that you can deal with any obstacle as well as we can, if not better," Hazel said. "And if you need help, we'll be right behind you."

Percy nodded in agreement. Will felt thankful that they were so willing to take a step back. All that was left was to convince Annabeth that he wasn't a kid to be coddled and guided to the finish line. Right now, though, he wanted some sleep. Sleep that didn’t involve being in a pitch-black cave or caused by tripping over and falling. Just some good old-fashioned shut-eye. All the gods in the region knew he needed it.

“I’ll keep the first watch,” Percy offered. “Can’t risk another monster dude ambushing us again.”

Will nodded, laying on his back and looking up at the stars. It wasn’t as cloudy as it had been the day before. Somewhere, on a different part of the mountain, Nico had the same view of them.

_‘Hope you’re doing great,’_ Will thought as he started to drift off to sleep. _‘I miss you a lot. More than anything.’_

He couldn’t wait to see him again tomorrow. He knew that everything would work out just fine.

 

* * *

 

 

“How are you feeling, Nico?” Jason asked.

Nico hoisted himself up the ledge with Cubone on his back. “Alright. Could do with some sleep.”

“Sorry about that. We have to get moving if we’re going to reach the peak in time.”

Nico sighed, looking at how far Annabeth and Piper were. Jason, on the other hand, was persistently keeping pace with Nico. It was getting annoying. “Trust me, I get it. You don’t have to watch over me like this.”

“I’m keeping you company,” Jason shrugged. “You shouldn’t be alone on this mountain.”

“Right, because you were a shining example of that,” Nico said dryly. Cubone had been sleeping non-stop for the whole day. It made sense considering they were on Othrys, but the fact that the Pokémon had been so sleepy before arriving at Othrys was really starting to worry Nico.

“That was different,” Jason said.

“Sure. Listen –” Nico was cut off as Cubone slid off of his back. The Pokémon slumped off, awake, and sleepily pointed at a crevasse in the wall. “Cubone? What’s wrong?” The Pokémon wasn't acting like itself though. It was almost like it was sleepwalking. Nonetheless, it reached for Nico’s hand and pulled him towards the crevasse.

“Nico,” Jason warned.

Cubone pulled Nico along until they were in total shadows. Something was up. “Cubone?”

The Pokémon didn’t respond.

Maybe Nico's eyes were playing tricks on him, but the shadows looked like they were crawling up his shoes and onto his ankles. Jason tried to pull him back, but failed. Nico didn’t really get a chance to react. Before he knew it, everything around him became a shadow – _they_ became shadows. It felt like they became nothing, traveling through darkness. He couldn't see anything, but it also felt like there wasn't anything to see. He could feel Jason holding onto his shoulder and Cubone floating next to Nico as the shadows pulled them along, but that was it.

Suddenly, it all stopped. He found himself on the ground next to Cubone, but Jason wasn’t anywhere to be found.

Cubone shook its head, snapping out of its trance. “Cu?”

“You alright?” Nico asked. The Pokémon nodded. Any hint of tiredness had disappeared. After gaining his bearings, Nico looked around.

They weren’t on Othrys anymore. Actually, it didn’t look like they were _anywhere_ in Olympia. Fields of sullen grass extended as far as the eye could see and dry looking plants grew in every direction. Only a few feet away stood the entrance to a side gate that lead to an enormous palace decorated in bronze and black. It was huge, and it was the only building that Nico could see. Everything else was dead grass.

The palace would have looked nice if it didn’t look so … dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, the power of music. Like singing in the shower, except a lot more dangerous.  
> I had a lot of fun with this chapter in particular, but I might need to come back and do some edits ^^ 
> 
> Thanks for reading,
> 
> Cheers!


	21. The Underworld

Nico rarely felt afraid. Fear was something so familiar to him when he was a child that the sense of it was dull now. But this? This shook him to his core, and it terrified him. A true, swampy feeling of foreboding. The feeling that haunted him for years after … _that_ incident.

The palace in front of him looked dauntingly sinister. The air was thick and hard to breathe. He had no idea where Jason was, and he didn’t know how to get back. The only thing he had going for him was the fact that Cubone looked to be back in shape again. No sleepiness, no mountain curse. Just its normal self.

Nico evaluated his choices. The most obvious one was to stay put and wait to see if Jason was nearby. But that could take hours, assuming Jason was even here, and those ashen fields didn’t bode well for Nico if there were wild Pokémon in there - who knew what kind of Pokémon inhabited a place like this? His second choice was to go and look for Jason, but the same drawbacks applied. His last choice was to go and seek shelter in the palace, where he was less likely to get jumped by wild Pokémon. Assuming it wasn’t abandoned or infested. And didn’t know if he even wanted to know who would live in a place like this at all. Everything seemed like a bad choice.

Cubone tugged on Nico’s pants leg, pointing at the palace. “Cu,” the Pokémon said. “Cubone, cu!”

There really wasn’t anything else to do. If he decided to wander, he would definitely get lost – these grey fields all looked the same. This was his best bet.

Nico sighed, starting to walk towards the gate that surrounded the building. “What brought us here anyway, Cubone?”

The Pokémon didn’t reply. Even if it wasn’t tired anymore, Nico still felt like Cubone was acting uncharacteristically strange. Was it nerves? Nico could sense … a feeling of anticipation in the Pokémon’s mood.

The gates were solid black poles of sleek metal. Even with their thin frame, they were as strong as any industrial-grade bars that Nico had ever seen. The gateway, however, was swinging back and forth flimsily. Nico passed into the palace grounds, cautious about each step. The place was too well-kept to be abandoned. To his right was a beautifully maintained garden that seemed so out of place, Nico wondered if he was seeing mirages. Like water in the desert, except with living plants in the land of nightmares instead.

Now only feet away from the palace walls, Nico slowed down as he took in the sheer size of the thing. It was _huge,_  strangely elegant, and ancient. It had the same style of architecture that the abandoned cities and temples had. The only difference was that this place wasn’t destroyed. The path led to a door that was also wide open, sounding alarms in Nico’s head. Was someone trying to lure him in? Gaea, maybe?

Nico’s gut told him the dirt lady wouldn’t like a place like this. Her thing was living environments. Everything here just screamed death. That thought wasn’t much comfort. Before Nico could assess the situation, Cubone ducked into the open doorway and out of sight.

“Cubone!” Nico whispered, half-running forward. “You can’t just do that! What’s gotten into you?”

Nico took one last look up at the palace that towered over him, looked behind him into the fields of grass, and then reluctantly followed Cubone inside. The decorations were just as creepy as the rest of this place was. Whoever owned this place needed to tone down on the black – and that was coming from _him_. The skulls and the bones were a bit much, too.

For whatever reason, his heart was pounding. It had a lot to do with the fact that the growing sense of foreboding was getting bigger, but it made Nico feel pathetic. He shouldn’t _be_ scared. Nothing here scared him. Not the dark hallways, or the deafening silence, or the air of animosity. That stuff was pretty tame in Nico’s book. He just couldn’t put a finger on why he felt so panic-stricken.

His footsteps echoed across the hallways with each step. The torches that lined the walls were all lit with a green-colored fire. Their flickering flames made the shadows dance across the floor. Ahead of him, Cubone walked with purpose. The Pokémon wasn’t investigating or looking around. It was just looking ahead, walking in a straight line down the corridors and past archways and marble steps.

Eventually, Cubone walked past some metal-enforced doors that almost reached the high ceiling. Nico walked past the doors, too, finding himself in a grand chamber that looked bigger than some of the Gyms he had been to. Maybe as big as Leo’s or Lou Ellen’s. The place was huge and ornately decorated with various sculptures, and had green-fire-chandeliers hanging from the impossibly high ceiling. A long red carpet extended from one side of the room to –

“Nico,” a cold yet oily voice said. “Welcome.”

Nico turned to his left. His heart might have stopped beating all together as a sinking feeling in his stomach turned to chills down his spine, panic and fear rising inside of him. Before him sat a tall man clad in flowing black robes that were inexplicably hard to look at and an intense gaze that pierced through Nico.

His mere presence was so imposing and intimidating, Nico fought the split-second urge to punch the man and run the other way. The result was a weird sort of twitchy motion in his right hand as it balled into a fist. That, and he couldn’t really form words or think, leading to a very awkward couple of seconds of silence.

“Well, this is not how I expected to meet you,” the man said, standing up after a while. His long robes, which were as black as black could get, only accented his tall frame. Was he … sitting on a throne? “Nor is it under the circumstances, either.”

Nico cleared his throat, but even that proved difficult because of how dry it was. The sense of foreboding and all the fear it caused had all concentrated on one point in his mind, making it hard to move or even think. “Who are you?”

The man contemplated the question as if deciding how to answer. “Hades. Come along, there is not much time.”

Hades’ robes swept along the ground as he turned and walked down the steps leading to his throne. The door in front of him opened as he approached it. Without looking back, Hades walked through the corridor and out of sight.

Nico hesitated, wondering if it was a good idea or not. His heart was beating in his throat and his hands had turned ice cold. The man was the embodiment of fear itself. Death, even. Cubone stared at Nico expectantly.

 _‘Just … relax,’_ Nico told himself, forcing himself to get a grip. Against his better judgment, though, he followed Hades out of the room with Cubone close behind.

The winding hallways didn’t look any different. Except now there was a robed, mysterious figure leading him to his probable doom. So there was that.

They didn’t talk much. It gave time for Nico to calm himself down, though he still kept his guard up. This man was important. He could feel it. But whether it was because he was the bringer of Nico’s demise or because of something else, Nico couldn’t tell. As they continued to walk silently, Nico thought it was best to play along for now.

They turned a corner, which gave Nico a different angle to make observations on the man. He noticed that the man was wearing two rings: one had an opal, and the other looked like a silver skull. It looked a lot like the one Nico had. The ring in question felt heavy in his pants pocket.

Finally, after numerous twists and turns through the enormous palace, they arrived at a bedroom with a balcony view. The room itself felt like the bedroom for a young child. The kind of kid that would live here was beyond Nico, though. A child with a bad taste in décor, seeing as the room had one too many skulls. The man stood by the railing of the balcony up against a cliff, looking out into the soulless landscape of the outside world.

“Things have been set into motion. Things that I would have preferred to stay still, Nico. Try as I might to prevent them, they continue to unravel in my hands. Which is why I led you here,” Hades patted the railing of the balcony with his hand. “to me. Credit where credit is due, your Pokémon is difficult to sway. It took the curse of a titan’s mountain to bring its strength down enough for me to be able to will it to come here. Its internal battle against my persuasion has made it very tired, no doubt.”

Nico didn’t say anything. His mind was still stuck on the ring. Where did he get the ring? He always had it, even when he was little. But he simply couldn’t recall _how_ he got it. One day he simply found it and had kept it – no, that wasn’t right.

 _‘The day I found the ring … it was the day after the incident. Bianca’s … death,’_ Nico thought, the painful memory resurfacing.

That day, he hadn’t come back to his foster home. He had run away. As far away as he could. Nico was always ashamed of that, even to this day – he never even honored his sister with a proper goodbye. He just disappeared, too scared to face the life head-on. Then again, he was only a kid. Nico wandered for days off-route, lost. It was a miracle a wild Pokémon hadn’t attacked him. But he didn’t care about anything during that time. Not even about himself. It was the worst time of his life, where he blamed himself for what happened. Thoughts that would take years to undo. On the fourth morning, Nico found a silver skull ring on a mound of dirt when he woke up. Soon after, a strange woman had found him out in the middle of nowhere somehow and told him that he was going to live with a new family. The Levesque’s. The other family that he was half-related to because of his …

“Dad,” Nico muttered, the fear he had been feeling since he had arrived beginning to settle. It wasn’t comforting or anything – this was anything but. If anything, he suddenly felt like he had to be on guard.

Hades’ harsh gaze fell back on Nico, but it seemed to soften a little. It didn’t seem as intimidating or ready to pierce through his soul as much, at least. Hades gave the slightest of nods and turned back to look at the balcony. “This is the Underworld, my domain. I am sure you have heard the legends.”

Nico _had_ heard of it. It was one of the more popular stories in Olympia, the place that many still believed in. After all, death was the one thing that people would never understand. Believing in this place was a sort of comfort for people. Turns out, their faith was well placed.

And if this place was the Underworld, that made his dad the Lord of the Underworld. The fact made him feel strange, but at the same time, it didn’t feel like a surprise. The only positive thing out of it was that Will would have so much ammo to use when he found out. He was already so keen on “Death Boy”.

Nico watched as Hades moved away from the balcony. He wasn’t really getting that father-son connection quite yet. If anything, he was acting coldly. “Seeing as my attempts at protecting you have failed and events continue to unfurl, the best thing I can do now is to ensure you are as readily prepared as possible.”

Hades led him through another door on the opposite end of the room. Nico took a long look at the ashen fields that the balcony looked over before following him.

“Hey … dad,” the words felt weird on Nico’s tongue. But he wasn’t about to call him _Hades_ , either. That felt even stranger. “Why now? After all this time?”

“As I said, my defensive measures have not worked. One of those defenses was for you to not know who you really were. My children are prone to misfortune, as you have come to know in your own life, and by not knowing, your chance of coming into risk was slimmer. To separate you from the rest of the mythical world – the one true assurance that you wouldn’t go seeking your fate.”

“That feels extreme,” Nico said lightly. He didn’t want to push any of the Lord of the Underworld’s buttons, even if he was his father.

“It was. After what happened to your sister,” Hades’ mood seemed to darken with a simmering sadness, “I placed every precaution. I made sure you were undetectable, I made that soft-hearted professor swear upon the River Styx never to seek you out or tell you, and I ensured that above all, you were never alone,” Hades nodded towards Cubone.

Nico couldn’t really say anything. He said it all so casually.

“But that does not matter anymore. Listen closely,” Hades strode towards Nico, his menacing figure towered over him. “Your friends are misleading you. Do not trust them. Only death awaits you atop that mountain. I would know.”

That wasn’t right. Nico had his doubts about Annabeth and the rest of them simply based on their lack of trust in him. Well, everyone but Hazel, but even she seemed to think that Nico couldn’t handle himself. But they weren’t intentionally misleading him and Will, were they?

“What about Hazel? She’s their friend, too, and she hasn’t protested. They’re not bad people.”

Hades raised an eyebrow. “No, they are _not_ bad people. Your sister – your other sister – keeps company with a bunch of goody-two-shoes who will go to the ends of the earth to do what they think is right.”

Nico frowned, not catching Hades’ drift. But his dad must have thought that what he said clarified everything, because he didn’t offer further explanation. What did that mean? Wouldn’t that serve to prove Nico’s point? If they did what was best, then why couldn’t he trust them? Nico had no doubt that they were the most readily-abled to handle the whole Gaea situation, even if they did treat Nico like a kid. It was annoying, sure, but they weren’t _evil_ or anything.

Instead of explaining, Hades procured a parcel, seemingly out of nowhere, and handed it to Nico. The package was wrapped tightly in an expensive black silk cloth. Nico stared at it.

“Do not expect any more of my help,” Hades said.

In that moment, Nico felt an irrational surge of anger. He wasn’t one to yearn about not knowing his father, but after seventeen years when the silence finally broke, it was simply “don’t trust your friends” and a box? Surely the man could have done this without plucking him out of a quest and messing everything up. And to act so coldly and distant …

 He had lost so much time now. Everyone would be wondering where he was. Nico was done here.

“You haven’t helped me at all,” Nico scowled. “I was doing fine without your speech.”

The air seemed to chill as Hades shot him a dangerous glare that sent a new wave of fear through Nico’s spine, but Nico resisted it this time. Without another word, Hades snapped his fingers. Nico felt his insides churn as if a hot flame had ignited itself in his stomach. The pain seared through him and made him feel sick, and for a moment Nico knew he had crossed a line. But then the pain stopped, leaving a hot sensation in his arms and chest. A strange feeling coursed through him. It felt like raw power. Nico looked at his dad, confused.

Hades’ face was expressionless. “My blessings to you. May Groudon’s power keep you alive. Or else my realm will be heavily populated soon.”

Nico felt awful. It felt like his arms had fallen asleep, but a thousand times worse and painful. Suddenly he could feel that everything in the Underworld was crawling with souls and Ghost-types. The sensations were chilling. It was a difficult feeling to describe, but it felt like currents of water flowing over him. Unnerving, to say the least.

Hades raised his hands to snap again, and Nico knew he was about to return to the Mountains by Othrys. But there was something missing …

“Wait!” Nico said as he held up his hand. Hades scowled, and Nico knew he was testing his patience, but there was something he had to do. “Jason. He’s this guy who came down here with me when we went through those shadows. Would you – is he here?”

“He is not my problem, child.”

“He’s here, then,” Nico’s throat felt dry. “I have to look for him.”

Hades mouth formed into an unhappy grimace. Was there a hint of disappointment in there? “Know that if you do, I will not help you leave. This is your one and only chance for a guaranteed safe passage back to the world above.”

Nico nodded firmly. “I made a promise that I would watch his back. He’s a good person.”

“A man of your word,” Hades said approvingly. “Good.”

Nico watched as the palace and Hades faded into darkness. It wasn’t until everything was mainly blurry that Nico realized everything wasn’t disappearing. His vision was simply fading.

 

~

 

When he awoke, he was sitting under a gnarly, brown-leaved tree in the open plains. The ashen grey field was filled with a variety of humans and Pokémon that were wandering aimlessly. They were all ethereal, and their sullen faces seemed to sag in a sort of bleary expression, as if they weren’t thinking of anything.

Nico noticed that while some people were fully visible, others looked faded. The fact that the Pokémon were all Yamasks was strange, too. Around him, the never-ending grass stretched out over hills and plains.

“… The Fields of Asphodel,” Nico muttered, the words coming to him as if he knew them well. The place where all those who did nothing in their lives, neither good nor bad, wandered for eternity.

Deciding he wasn’t going to stay in this particular place much longer, Nico got up and shook Cubone awake. There was a strange feeling coming off of the Pokémon. It was the complete opposite from the sensation that the aimless souls gave off. Warm, pleasant, and full of power. Nico had no clue what all of that meant for him.

The Pokémon yawned and clambered to Nico’s side, climbing onto his back and holding on. Cubone had gotten heavier since they first started traveling. It felt strange knowing that meeting Cubone wasn’t a completely random chance of fate. In fact, it was the total opposite, if he understood his dad right.

Nico looked around, trying to find a clue of where to go next. The palace was nowhere in sight and the Fields continued in every direction, seemingly extending outward forever. Dead grass stood in front of him, to his side, and behind him as far as the eye could see. The dead tree was the only thing that was different.

There _was_ something strange about the fields to his right, though. There was a steady column of smoke coming from that direction, over a hill. And somehow, Nico felt the same sort of energy that Cubone was giving off in the distance. It was faint, but it was there.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be an impact crater of some sort. There was a person-sized dent in the ground, at least. The grass around it was burning, hence the smoke. The only thing that could do something like that was Jason, but unless the guy could electrify himself or burst into flames, Nico couldn’t see how he could have caused it. Maybe he called out Manectric as he fell.

 _‘But then the crater would have been larger,_ ’ Nico thought to himself. Whatever happened, it was his only lead. And there happened to be a trail of burning foot-shaped patches of grass.

Nico followed them, walking through any ethereal person or Yamask that he came across without care. The people looked zombie-like in their mannerisms, but the Yamask looked plain depressed, holding their mask tightly and drifting aimlessly. It had to be a sad existence.

The trail was getting thinner and less defined as Nico followed it, like whatever had burned the grass was wearing off over time. Before long, there was barely enough singed grass to make out a few steps. After that, the trail disappeared completely.

“Great, now what?” Nico muttered under his breath, looking for a new lead to follow. He didn’t have to look far. A random hole in the ground was sitting just past a few troubled souls to his right. A river was flowing in the distance to his left. Maybe, just maybe, Jason had gone into the hole for shelter or something. Maybe he tripped and fell into it like he tripped into an exit back in Othrys. The possibilities were endless.

Besides, that warm energetic feeling was much stronger now. He had to be at the right place.

Nico dropped down and landed on a slope that sent him sliding into an underground tunnel. What was it with tunnels? Nico was getting sick of them.

Despite his growing hate for underground infrastructure, he began down the narrow path after seeing a set of footprints in the dirt. They _had_ to be Jason’s. He doubted that any Yamask or wandering soul would be sporting a pair of sneakers.

Even Underworld dirt had a sullen look to it. The stuff was coarse and easily crumbled beneath his touch. That’s all there was in this tunnel: dirt. The path didn’t even seem to go anywhere, not taking any turns or even going deeper underground. It just … existed in a perfectly straight line. It was almost as if it was a trap.

Right on cue, the ground around Nico began to rumble. Loose soil covered him as he squinted to see what was going on past the darkness. It was too late when he noticed the head of a giant Onyx accelerating straight towards him, its expression contorted in fury. Nico barely had time to flinch, much less act. He braced for impact, the ground knocking him off of his feet and then –

He felt weightless, as light as a feather.

Nico opened his eyes. Darkness surrounded him. The same shadowy substance that had brought him here. For a moment, he thought Hades had interfered, but he had warned Nico that he wouldn’t.

This felt different. The shadows weren’t pushing him in a certain direction, unlike last time. Instead, they seemed to lack a sense of direction or purpose. As if the dark was sentient. Regardless, Nico felt in control this time – like he was in his element.

He tried to speak, but no words came out.

 _‘What is this place?’_ Nico thought, trying to see something in the murkiness of the shadows but failing. He could feel Cubone still holding onto him, though. _‘I have to get back to that tunnel._ ’

As soon as Nico finished that thought, the shadows pushed him forward. Suddenly, he emerged from a wall in the tunnel like a ghost. His body rematerialized and all of his weight came back into existence. He felt clumsy outside of that shadow stuff.

From the looks of it, the Onyx was gone, leaving a large imprint against the cave walls in its wake. Nico squinted through the darkness, but after deciding that he was wasting time, he pressed on. The Onyx’s attack was really unsettling. The only Pokémon that existed down had to be Ghost-types and a few Dark-types. The thought of normal Pokémon living in the Underworld was ridiculous.

 The tunnel finally opened up to a vast cavern that was just big enough to hold something as big as the Onyx from earlier. Shards of rock and chunks of dirt covered the floor. Something was laying in the corner of the cave, limp and unmoving. The feeling of energy and warmth was flowing from it – the figure was alive. He could feel it.

“Jason?” Nico asked cautiously as he walked over. It was clearly him, with his tattered purple shirt and ripped pants. Nico shook him, trying to wake him up.

Suddenly Jason jerked awake, sparks crackling through him and shocking Nico’s hand.  Nico cursed and pulled away as Jason tried to back up against the wall, electricity continuing to course through him. The living energy coming off of him was suddenly burning hot and erratic, throwing Nico off even more.

“Jason! Jason, calm down! It’s me, Nico!”

It took a second for Jason to register that. He continued to kick and punch for a second longer, sending sparks flying everywhere. Nico backed up a couple of steps just to get out of the splash zone.

“Nico?” Jason whispered. His voice came out dull and raspy, as if he had been yelling for a whole day. He stopped moving, but he was still crackling with electricity.

“Yeah, I’m here. You alright?”

“I think so. Let me get my bearings,” Jason said.

The great thing about Jason’s inexplicable electricity was that he made an excellent glow stick. While they didn’t create much light themselves, it gave Jason a slight glow that made it a little easier to see. Nico noticed a gash on Jason’s arm. Without thinking, Nico tore off a piece of the hem of his shirt and tried to cover it, but Jason pulled back.

“Whoa – not a good idea. I don’t want to zap you by accident.”

Nico tossed him the rag instead. “So, is this a normal thing or …?”

“Not really. I have control over it, but right now I’m a bit freaked out,” Jason managed to say as he somehow managed to tie the cloth over the gash with one hand and his teeth. Nico was no doctor, but the injury looked like it could get really bad if it didn’t receive treatment soon.

“I take it you’re like the world’s biggest triple-A battery, then. And no one knows about it.”

“That’s not a thing,” Jason muttered. He looked up, sighing. “You mean Piper and everyone else? Of course they know about it. Everyone’s got – I mean, it’s … not … um,” he faltered. “It’s easier to explain if you know about blessings.”

His dad’s words echoed in his head. _‘My blessings to you. May Groudon’s power keep you alive._ ’

“The term sounds familiar.”

“Well, I’ll explain it later then,” Jason struggled to get up, using the wall to get up. He seemed dizzy and unstable, but Nico couldn’t help. Not unless he wanted to get fried. “But let’s get out of here first.”

The walk back was a lot slower with Jason’s slow gait. They covered so little ground in twenty minutes. Cubone was becoming restless, pacing behind Nico impatiently.

“So what happened?” Nico eventually asked, watching as Jason supported himself with the tunnel walls as he walked. He didn’t have any leg injuries, but he was clutching his chest a lot. Nico didn’t know what was wrong with him.

“I’m not sure. I just remember falling and landing in some fields. Everything’s kinda blurry from there – I think I was trying to look for you, but I can’t remember much after that,” Jason looked concerned, really trying to push himself to remember. Nico didn’t think he needed much explanation after that. From the looks of it, the Onyx that had attacked Nico earlier had also attacked Jason, though he wasn’t sure why the Pokémon had let him live.

It was weird. If it was out for their blood like Hazel had said, then it would have killed Jason on the spot. And there was no doubt in Nico’s mind that the Onyx was enraged with primal chaos.

Finally, after a long time of slow walking and waiting for Jason to take a breather, they reached the end of the tunnel.

“How are we gonna do this?” Nico asked Jason. He could climb the wall easily, but he wondered if Jason had the strength for it.

“Don’t worry about it. Just go.”

Nico raised an eyebrow but didn’t question it. Without a second glance, he climbed up the wall and lifted himself over, rolling into the sullen grass of the Fields and standing up. A second later, Jason slumped over onto the grass next to him, exhausted. The guy had some real physical strength.

“I don’t do well underground,” Jason said, tired. “I should feel better soon. Where are we?”

“The Underworld,” Nico said matter-of-factly.

“… Sorry, what?”

“The Underworld,” Nico repeated.

Jason shot up, flinching. He looked around the ashen-grey landscape, from one end to the other. “The Fields of Asphodel. How did we get down here? We’re not dead, are we?”

“No. I mean, you’re on your way there if we don’t get you help soon, but no. We’re alive.”

Jason seemed to go into a super-hero mode, his expression turning serious and his injuries seemingly hurting him less. He stood up as best he could and looked at Nico. “We have to get out of here.”

 _‘Really? I was hoping to stay,’_ Nico thought, but he kept it to himself. Sarcasm was the one thing Jason could use the least right now. Instead, Nico nodded. “Any ideas?”

Jason held up his hands. “I have no clue. Let’s pick a direction and go from there.”

“How about a river?” Nico pointed towards a river in the distance.

Jason snapped his fingers. “Yes! Yes. We have to check which of the rivers it is, but if it’s the River Styx then we’re in luck. If I’m remembering correctly, that’s the river that helps people cross when getting into the Underworld. Maybe we can follow it in reverse and use it to get out.”

It was the most solid plan they had. Nico’s only other option was to wander until something happened, and that wasn’t super concrete.

“Cubone, stay alert. Don’t know when that Onyx might show up again,” Nico whispered to Cubone.

“What was that?” Jason asked.

Nico shook his head. “Nothing.”

He didn’t want Jason to stress about the Onyx. He was struggling enough as it was, and Nico was sure that if he knew, Jason would try and go ultra-hero mode and probably pass out from trying to push himself too hard. Then where would they be?

Even now, Jason was walking at a normal pace. Odd, considering he was really struggling down in the tunnel. He insisted he was getting better, but his limp was so obvious. As long as he didn’t get worse, Nico didn’t care much.

They passed by a couple of wandering souls as they walked. Their zombie-like behavior made walking past them awkward because of how slowly they moved and how often they seemed to clutter the way. Nico knew they could walk through them, but Jason wasn’t keen on it.

“It’s just disrespectful,” he said. “They already have to wander for eternity, why disturb them?”

Nico shrugged. He was confident that the souls didn’t have the capacity to care or even notice them. But he couldn’t be too sure – sometimes Nico felt like some of the spirits that were more aware of their surroundings would bow to him when they weren’t in his direct field of view. “Sure, that’s one way to think about it. Not sure why some of them are Yamasks, though.”

“I’m a little rusty on my Underworld knowledge, but when a soul gets sentenced to the Fields of Asphodel, they start to lose themselves. They forget who they are, until they’re nothing but a shell of who they used to be. When that happens, the soul turns into a Pokémon that carries a mask that resembles the face of who they were. It’s their only real memory that they have left. It’s really screwed up,” Jason admitted. “To wander the rest of time with no memory of what you were and only a mask that reminds you that things used to be better.”

Nico looked at the Yamasks that were wandering around. Their look of yearning at the mask they carried was unsettling. Deep down, he wondered if Bianca had suffered that terrible fate. Was she destined to forget him? Suddenly, Nico wished that he had asked Hades about his sister. The fact that he had forgotten to think about her when he had the chance made him feel terrible.

“Hey, still with me?”

“Yeah,” Nico replied, but his weak answer wasn’t really convincing.

“There’s also Elysium, which is a paradise,” Jason said, apparently understanding what kind of thing Nico was thinking about. “Good people go there.”

That was a nice thought. And Nico knew that Bianca was as good as “good” could get. But Nico didn’t want to stay on the subject any longer.

“The only Pokémon that live down here are Ghost- and Dark-types, right?”

“Yeah, why?”

Nico shook his head.

A plume of dust erupted from the ground in front of them before the shaking started.

_‘Uh-oh.’_

The Onyx from earlier exploded out of the dirt, throwing rocks and sediment everywhere. The Pokémon screeched in rage, writhing along the ground before settling and focusing its attention on them. Nico didn’t understand why he couldn’t feel any sort of energy coming from the Pokémon. If the sullen, frigid sensations coming from the souls was death, and the energetic, warm sensations coming from Jason and Cubone was life, then why was the Onyx not emitting either?

“Holy Hera,” Jason muttered, looking up at the enormous Rock-type. The Pokémon brought its tail down at them, narrowly missing them. Jason grabbed Nico by the sleeve of his green jacket. “My Pokémon are all out of power. That Onyx is way more powerful than anything we’ve faced on that mountain. We need to run.”

Nico was about to protest but stopped when a fissure cracked open where the Onyx’s tail had just been. Running sounded like a good idea. As the Onyx wound up for another attack, Nico made sure Cubone was hanging onto his bag before sprinting to his right.

The Onyx chased after him, diving in and out of the ground like a Finneon in water. The Pokémon was gaining on him, getting closer until it was right on his heels. Nico reached for his belt and pulled out Murkrow’s PokéBall and tossing it into the air.

Murkrow appeared in a flash of red light, nose-diving at the Onyx at maximum speed.

“Haze, right when it attacks!” Nico yelled between breaths. Gods, he was tired.

Onyx lunged forward only seconds later, its mouth wide open and ready to snatch Nico up. Just then, Murkrow flew in at incredible speeds, flapping a gust of dark haze into the Rock-type’s open mouth. Nico used the momentum of his run to heave himself forward with a jump, narrowly avoiding the Onyx’s jaws.

The rock worm snapped its mouth shut, catching nearly all of Murkrow’s dense haze attack. Instantly, the Pokémon sputtered and roared, losing its balance and falling over. Nico took the opportunity to try and find Jason.

The guy was standing near where the Onyx had attacked them, waving at Nico and making weird gestures. He must have gone the other way on accident while the Onyx focused on Nico. What a hero. Nico cursed under his breath, turning his attention back to the monster Pokémon, which had already recovered.

“Try to gain some altitude, Cubone. Murkrow, help Cubone out. I’ll distract it and you two find a weak point. I’m thinking the horn, but I’m not sure,” Nico turned left as Cubone jumped off to his right, hoping that the Onyx would follow Nico.

Thankfully, it did. As the Pokémon roared and began heading towards Nico, Murkrow carried Cubone into the air. This time, the Onyx completely buried itself underground, disappearing from view. Nico had no way of knowing where it would appear from next.

Nico stopped, catching his breath as he waited for the Onyx’s next move. There wasn’t any point in running, anyway. The Onyx was faster underground and would be able to catch up with him. Instead Nico waited, standing perfectly still to try and hear or feel any rumbling below his feet. Since when did Pokémon encounters become about him, anyway? Nico missed the controlled battles at the start of his journey, when he wouldn’t have to worry about him being the target or death-by-boulder-snake.

In the distance, Jason was hollering at him about something with Murkrow. He was really making it hard to concentrate.

 _‘Shut up, Grace,’_ Nico scowled in his head, forcing himself to block his noise.

Nico felt the ground shift under him slightly. It was like a distant crack that vibrated into his feet. Quickly, he jumped to the side and ducked as the Onyx shot out of the ground, straight into the air.

Murkrow let go of Cubone when the Onyx reached the peak of its jump and circled back around to Nico. Cubone worked its way to the top of the Rock-types head, preparing a Bone Club attack. But Onyx reached the ground before Cubone could do anything, and both Pokémon disappeared into the dirt.

“Nico!” Jason called out, now running towards him.

Nico did his best to ignore him. But it turned out he didn’t need to. A couple seconds later, the Onyx emerged from the ground before falling limply. Cubone had apparently landed a critical blow, knocking the Pokémon unconscious. The Rock-type landed with an earth-shaking thud.

“Nico!” Jason yelled again, finally reaching him. “We have to go! Now!”

“Calm down, it’s already knocked out,” Nico said gesturing at the unconscious Pokémon. Cubone hopped off and walked towards Nico. The Pokémon looked visibly worn out.

“I know – trust me, this isn’t a good idea –”

The Onyx began to shake before sinking into the ground.

“See?” Nico said confidently. But Jason seemed to pale.

“Run.”

“What?”

“Run!” Jason pushed Nico in a direction as he forced him to break into a run. Reluctantly, Nico kept pace, but he wasn’t sure why. The Onyx was knocked out, unable to follow them anymore.

Suddenly, the ground shook once again as multiple Onyx sprouted from the ground, all looking more enraged than the first.

“What?” Nico asked incredulously.

“I _told_ you not to knock it out! Just to stun it!”

“Yeah, unintelligible babbling from a distance really helped!” Nico scoffed, his eye twitching with irritation.

The hoard of Rock-types followed them across the fields, gaining on them just as easily as the first Onyx had done. Murkrow did its best to distract and stall them from attacking but was having little success. Cubone had taken to using Bonemerang attacks on any Onyx that came too close. Both tactics wouldn’t keep them safe for long, though. Slowly, the Rock-types were speeding up – and Nico and Jason were tiring out, and the fields didn’t show any sign of ever ending.

Nico tripped. Maybe it was caused by a nasty knot in the grass or because of a pebble. Heck, maybe Nico was clumsy enough to trip over his own feet. But the next thing Nico knew, he was looking up at the rapidly approaching hoard of Onyx coming at him. He prepared for the worst.

As the jagged jaws of two Onyx lunged at him, Nico closed his eyes and tried to block his face. He flinched when he felt a strong pull on the hem of his shirt, but that was it. No pain. Just a face-full of dirt.

Murkrow had swooped and dragged Nico out of the way, but it was really struggling. Before Nico could do anything, though, Jason grabbed hold of him and did something with his wrist. A really, _really_ strong gust of wind launched them into the air. Nico only watched as the Rock-types around them turned into tiny specks on the ground. Then, in a flash of red light, something grabbed Nico by the hem of his shirt.

A Braviary was carrying all of them away, gliding through gusts of wind that appeared out of nowhere.

“Sorry, I should have done this earlier,” Jason shook his head, face scrunched in concentration.

The Braviary carried them over a long distance with as little movement as possible. The Pokémon looked tired and was barely keeping it together. Nico wasn’t sure if he needed to be worried or not. Cubone was clinging for dear life as Murkrow followed behind them.

They landed near a river the ran into a giant chasm. Jason fell to the ground as his knees buckled under his own weight, too tired to move. Braviary perched itself on the ground after putting them down.

“Too close,” Nico muttered, recalling Murkrow.  “Since when do Onyxes multiply like that?”

“They don’t,” Jason said between breaths. “That wasn’t a normal Onyx. Chaos. But what was it doing here?”

“What do you mean?”

Jason held up a finger as he steadied his breath. After a few seconds, he continued. “Chaos is trapped in the deepest, darkest depths of Tartarus – which is already the deepest part of the Underworld anyway. It shouldn’t be able to infect anything. And there’s the fact that no Pokémon lives down here.”

“Gaea was able to infect those Pokémon in the Temple,” Nico recalled. “And before that, Terras was doing the same thing to Pokémon they captured with weird devices. I don’t know if anybody told you.”

“Really? But chaos would need to be able to escape from Tartarus, and that’s impossible. There’s no way. Not that I know of, anyway.” Jason rolled over in the grass with a soft thud. “Annabeth is way better at this stuff than I ever will be. We need to tell her when we get back.”

 _‘If we get back,’_ Nico thought miserably, looking around. Even after their flight, everything still looked relatively the same. How was he supposed to get out, anyway?

His eyes landed on the giant sinkhole in the ground. It was massive, stretching the length of three Onyx, easily. Nico couldn’t imagine how big an onyx had to be to dig _that_ kind of hole up. He hoped they never had to encounter it.

Nico walked up to the edge, peering into the depths. It was pitch-black, with no bottom in sight. It made his heart beat irrationally. Like the hole would attack him somehow.

Behind him, Jason got up and recalled his Braviary before walking over to Nico.

“Gods, take a few steps back, Nico. That’s a drop straight into Tartarus,” Jason sounded really nervous.

They hadn’t really gotten closer to the exit, then. If anything, they were deeper into the Underworld now. Nico sighed. If only he could use the shadows again. That was how they got in here and it was going to be the way they got out. But for now, they needed rest.

One thought was lurking in his mind, though. He had encountered enraged Pokémon before. But besides showing boosts in strength and agility, none of them had any extra “powers”. Onyxes that split into more of itself when knocked out? If Nico didn’t know any better, the “chaos” affecting the Pokémon was becoming stronger. It was turning the Pokémon into monsters.

Nico hoped Will was alright. The sickly burning sensation in coursing through his body didn't help his mood. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't have much time to write much. Writes 7k anyway. 
> 
> So my schedule is going to get really heavy in the month of October in particular, but fear not! Next week is a guaranteed update and a 60% chance of an update the following week. After that, it's up in the air for a few weeks. Regardless, I'll leave an update in the endnotes if it doesn't work out.
> 
> Happy 1st Day of October!
> 
> Thanks for reading,
> 
> Cheers!


	22. Coming Together

_Nico opened his eyes. It was dark but he didn’t have any trouble seeing. He was standing in another cave, though this one looked more like Othrys than the one in the Underworld. Maybe a couple of rocks and shrapnel here or there, but otherwise empty. The cave was claustrophobically small, but Nico managed._

_He felt strange. Out of place. Everything felt oddly mystical._

_In the distance, Nico saw a figure leaning up against the cavern wall. Without much thought, Nico walked towards it with feather-light feet. It felt more like swimming through shadows than actual walking, though. As Nico got closer, he could see more defined features off of the figure._

_Tall, well-built, and tousled blonde hair that looked blonde. It looked like the person was wearing a sweater …_

_“Will?”_

_The figure jumped and turned around. Will looked at him, looking unusually calm. A sight for sore eyes, even if it had only been for a short time since he last saw him. Even so, Nico felt pathetic._

_“Gods,” Nico said as he rubbed his eyes. “So desperate to see him again that I’ve started seeing him in my dreams. So_ corny.”

_“Nico?” the dream Will said. “What’re you doing here?”_

_“Relax, it’s just a dream,” Nico said. Not that it really mattered, because dream Will wasn’t real. It didn’t really matter what he said. And if Nico was honest, he was kind of embarrassed that he would even dream Will up in the first place. But mostly, he felt glad to see him again, even in a dream._

_“I guess so. This place looks kind of dream-like, doesn’t it?” dream Will looked around the darkness, but Nico doubted he could see anything. “Looks like that cavern I just got out of. Not sure why you’re here though – second dream in a row where you appear, but this one’s more out of context. I guess I really miss you.” Will said with a laugh._

_“Wait. What?” Nico looked at Will with wild bewilderment._

_“It’s a dream. You said it yourself,” Will reiterated. “It’s a lucid one, too. I’ve never had one of those before.”_

_“This is_ my _dream,” Nico pointed at himself._

_Dream Will frowned. “Nico, I’m pretty sure this is my dream. It’d be kinda awkward for me if it wasn’t.”_

_That didn’t make much sense. Then again, it could be Nico having some weird sort of situation where he was dreaming that dream Will thought he was dreaming of Nico. Or something that was as equally confusing. Sleep deprivation and tiredness did weird things to the brain._

_“Maybe you’re in my dream,” Will thought out loud, looking down in thought. “Or I’m in your dream, like that time in Arbor Town with Gaea and all that. But I’m pretty sure this is mine. Before this, I was dreaming of …” Will paused, turning a bright red. “Anyway, what’s up with you? Assuming you’re real, anything new?”_

_“Yeah, kind of,” Nico walked up closer to Will, squinting at him to try and see any sort of sign that he was fake. But he looked real enough, and definitely acted real. It was the kind of thing a dream would do._

_“Stop being a stranger,” Will said with a laugh, closing the gap and giving Nico a hug and a kiss._

_Nico could feel a new pleasant wave of happiness and energetic warmth flowing from Will. That same energy that Nico attributed to living people now. Maybe it was because he had only felt it from two other living things, but Will’s energy was by far the most powerful, even in a dream. Sure, it was dampened somewhat, but it was still really strong. And, if Nico was being totally honest, it was the best thing Nico had ever felt. Will’s energy washed over Nico in a comforting blanket._

_That settled it. Nico decided it_ was _a dream, but Will was also real. Maybe he actually was in Will’s dream._

_It was weird seeing Will like this. It had only been two days, but after all the weird revelations within the last day alone, having someone so familiar was jarring. Will’s expression told Nico that he was feeling the same way._

_Together, they slumped down against the cavern wall. Will sighed, looking at Nico. “Why do you look so scary now? You look like death.”_

_Nico laughed, feeling a little light-headed. “It’s uh – kind of a long story. If you’ve got the time for it.”_

_“Nico, I’m dreaming of being in a spooky cave with my boyfriend. I think I got time. Didn’t that movie about dreams say something about time moving slower in dreams?”_

_“I don’t think movies are the best … you know what? Sure. But you’re gonna have to tell me how your trip has been going after this,” Nico said, already trying to find a way to best tell Will about his crazy journey. He needed a breather from the literal hell he had been through._

_Will laughed. “As if I wasn’t going to in the first place.”_

_Will was a really good listener. His side comments were always quick-witted and made Nico chuckle. He never really interrupted when Nico recounted the whole interaction with Hades, and he bit his lip when he came to the whole “Hades was his dad” thing. It wasn’t until Nico stopped after explaining the Onyx ordeal that Will finally let out a shaky laugh._

_He mouthed “Death Boy” but didn’t say it out loud. He just wrapped an arm around Nico._

_“You’re a pest,” Nico joked, rolling his eyes. “I knew you’d go for that joke. It’s such a low-hanging fruit.”_

_“I’m_ your _pest though.” Will continued, smiling at Nico. His smile faltered and settled into a more longing face. “I’ve missed you a lot.” Will stared a little while longer, making Nico heat up. He leaned in towards Nico._

_The kiss was long and heated. Unlike other times, this felt less careful and more natural. Nico could feel Will’s longing, which made his face turn scarlet. Gods, he really did miss Will. Even if this was a dream, this felt real enough._

_Nico felt flushed when they stopped. But it didn’t feel awkward. He felt like he was running on a high._

_“I’m kinda sad it’s just a dream,” Will grinned. “Why did we go on this trip anyway?”_

_“Destiny or something like that.”_

_Will shook his head. “Ah, the most noble of reasons. Totally not worth it. We coulda stayed out of it. Do domestic stuff and all that.”_

_Nico nodded slightly, too flustered to give a proper response. “You promised you’d tell me what’s up with you,” Nico finally said after a while. Will grinned again._

_“Yeah, guess I did. It’s kind of a long story, too. Don’t freak out too much.”_

_Nico would never hear Will’s story. Not in this dream, at least. The dark cavern got darker, even for Nico, and a voice echoed through the passageways. It was dull and slow._

_“Ah, what a coincidence. I must have stumbled across you, little heroes. Don’t mind me, I was just passing by,” Gaea’s voice rang. Even in her sleepy droll, Nico could catch “It’s a pity. Apart from being hours away from your deaths, you couldn’t be further away from achieving your goal.”_

_Gaea’s sleepy voice resonated through the walls as the cavern suddenly glowed a putrid green. Will locked eyes with Nico. “It’s just a dream. I’ll be fine, okay? I’ll see you at the top of the mountain. Wake up!” he said._

_Nico caught a tiny glimpse of green light flashing and the hint of decaying vegetation before he was lost to darkness._

~

 

Nico woke up to Jason’s yelling in a cold sweat.

“Gods, what the – Nico, what in Hades’ name did you do?”

Nico looked at Jason blearily, his heart pounding. It took him a few seconds to realize that he was surrounded by stone spikes that had erupted from the ground, facing away from him. His hands were grasping the coarse Underworld dirt, tingling painfully. Had he caused all of that?

Jason touched one of the spikes lightly and eyed Nico as if he was an injured animal.

Nico ignored him, rubbing his eyes and trying to remember what he had been dreaming about. It was hard. He remembered a flash of green light and a sick, rotting smell that still clung to his nose. Nico frowned. This sounded familiar …

Jason cleared his throat, looking at Nico reproachfully. “You didn’t tell me you had a blessing.”

“I didn’t know,” Nico said. That wasn’t entirely untrue. He actually _didn’t_ know what his dad had done to him. Except for the whole living-dead energy thing, all he got was the pain in his arms and a basic understanding of the Underworld.

Jason looked like he was in deep thought. “If you didn’t know, then you don’t have control over it. You’re dangerous.”

“Thanks,” Nico said sarcastically.

“You nearly skewered me like a kabob,” Jason said grimly. “And that was in your sleep.”

Nico sighed. “I promise I won’t betray you when I’m awake. Now calm down.”

“That’s not what I mean,” Jason said a bit aggressively. He stopped and ran his hand through his hair, sighing, too. “Sorry about getting serious on you, though. It’s – I guess I’m on edge.”

“No kidding,” Nico scoffed, but then immediately regretted it. Jason had decided to stand watch as they took a break from wandering the Underworld. He was just looking out for them. “Sorry. That was uncalled for.”

An awkward silence followed.

“What were you dreaming about? You were muttering in your sleep.” Jason asked after a while.

What _was_ he dreaming about? Nico wracked his brain, trying to remember. There was a dark cave and … Will. There was talking. And … kissing.

“I can’t remember,” Nico said. He hoped that whatever he had been muttering, it wasn’t anything incriminating.

“Ah, well,” Jason replied. He wasn’t looking at him, so he couldn’t see the blush creeping onto Nico’s face. “If we want to get out of here, we should get moving again. Soon.”

Nico didn’t answer. Instead, he busied himself with the zipper on Will’s jacket, grinning to himself as more memories of the dream came to him.

 

* * *

 

Will felt great. After a ridiculous amount of time in the caves, a good night’s sleep was the best thing in the world. The last dream was disturbing, though. He couldn’t remember it, and when he woke up, he was plagued with the rotting smell of decomposing plants.

He knew what that was about. Gaea. This time he couldn’t remember a single thing about the dream, though. And Psyduck hadn’t been there to disturb him this time. It made him wonder what had happened …

“At this rate, we’ll make it right before Ho-Oh reaches the summit,” Hazel said cheerily. Her mood had drastically improved overnight as well.

“My offer still stands,” Will called out, petting Igglybuff’s tuft on the top of its head. The Pokémon bounced happily on his shoulder. Ever since the cave, Igglybuff’s strength had stopped being leeched away.

“Still a no,” Hazel replied. “We don’t want to wear you out in case of an emergency. Save your energy.”

Earlier in the morning, Will offered to heal away Othrys’ exhaustion effect from Rapidash if they decided to ride to the top. If Will could negate the effect, then he could heal their whole team and they’d be at one hundred percent. Even Percy and Hazel were able to use their powers after getting healed up. Of course, both Percy and Hazel shot the idea down. Their “no’s” stung a little.

“It’s – it’s not that we’re babying you or anything,” Hazel said, reading the expression on Will’s face. “But this really needs to be handled correctly. Blessings are physically draining. You got yours only a few hours ago.”

“Trust me, dude, I passed out for a whole day one time from overdoing it. We can’t exactly carry you around in a place like this. And if that monster Pokémon shows up again, we’re screwed,” Percy shrugged, kicking a rock off the cliff.

Will couldn’t argue with that, even if he felt totally fine. All he did was sing a couple of 80’s era songs. Nothing said, “physically draining” like that did. Maybe his power was different from Percy’s or Hazel’s in terms of how much he could use it. It was a definite possibility.

Percy stopped in his tracks before Will could bring it up.

“That’s not supposed to be there,” he turned to Hazel. His face had gone serious, making him look like he was ready to tackle a Snorlax head-on. His ability to go from zero to scary was … impressive.

“Aren’t those the remnants of the Titan King’s palace?” Hazel asked.

“Yeah,” Percy answered slowly. “But this is wrong. The palace fell apart years ago.”

Will took a peek at what the pair of them were seeing. Only a couple hundred feet away stood the entrance to the most impressive looking castle he had ever seen. Its black exterior and massive size gave the castle an ominous appearance, but its crumbling state made it feel like a shell of its former self. In its day, the castle would have been a formidable sight.

“Wow, pretty cool looking. Who builds a place way up here, anyway?” Will said, whistling at how well the castle was made, even if it was starting to fall apart.

Igglybuff nodded in agreement, pointing at the palace. “Buff!”

Percy shot him a dangerous look that was not friendly. “There’s nothing cool about this place.”

“I’m … sorry?” Will held his hands up, at a loss for Percy’s abrasiveness. Will gave Igglybuff a glance. _‘What’s his problem?’_

Igglybuff didn’t seem to care about Percy’s change of tone. The Pokémon was happily staring at the castle and humming a tune as it swayed from side to side on Will’s shoulder. Will had to admire the Pokémon’s ability to keep a light mood. Somebody in their group had to.

There wasn’t any way around the castle. It was smack in the middle of their path, and the cliffs looked impossible to climb. That much was obvious after Percy paced back and forth looking for a way through for a solid ten minutes.

“I’m sorry about that,” Hazel whispered to Will quietly. “I think this place has some bad memories.”

“We’re going to have to go through,” Percy called out. His voice was unpleasant at best. “Let’s make this quick.”

Will was wary of Percy as they entered the castle. He was clutching his fists and he was muttering something under his breath. Something along the lines of, “what is this place doing here”.

The corridors echoed with their footsteps as they walked along. A dusty, pungent smell filled Will’s nose. The ceiling looked ready to crumble. The black marble floor had a fine layer of dust. Everything about this place screamed “abandoned”. It didn’t even look used. There was no sign of furniture or any trace of anybody ever being in here. It was simply empty from one end to the other.

They took a flight of stairs down into the lower floor. The steps cracked as they walked. The path led them into a large corridor with a high ceiling, dreary and dark. But Will didn’t want Igglybuff to use Flash – he wasn’t sure if using moves would somehow start the energy draining stuff to happen again.

The room felt like a storage space, in a weird way. A massive storage space.

“Cages,” Hazel said softly, nodding towards rows upon rows of chambers built into the wall, enforced with bronze bars that looked oddly new. These cages _did_ look used. Every inch of them was covered in scratches, burn marks, corrosion, and all kinds of other damage. It was obvious what had done all of that. Will shivered at the thought of Pokémon being confined to such ... bad conditions.

Percy’s fists clenched even more. “Kronos was the worst.”

Without another word, he moved on.

Will watched him storm off before turning to look at the cages. Small spaces with no room for food or water. It was as if the cages were simply made to contain Pokémon until they could fulfill their purpose.

 _‘What purpose?’_ Will thought. _‘The mountain’s curse would render them useless, anyway.’_

It seemed like a pointless plan to keep Pokémon locked up if their energy was drained away. Even if they were supposed to be used for battle or some kind of defense, surely anyone who got this far up wouldn’t have usable Pokémon to fight with.

“Will,” Hazel said, nodding towards the path Percy had taken.

Will followed her past a couple dozen more cages. It made him both angry and sick to the stomach to see this place. Judging by the severity of the damage in the cages, the Pokémon were desperate to get out, even if their energy was being drained. Will tried not to think about the conditions that the Pokémon had to undergo before they were able to leave. He certainly didn’t want to acknowledge the putrid smell coming from some of the cages.

The rows upon rows of prisons didn’t seem to end. The passageway continued on forever with only a few locked doorways in between.

 _‘Unless the point of the Pokémon was to literally just be here, I don’t see what purpose this place has,’_ Will thought.

An odd stone caught his eye as he walked. It was sitting right in the corner of one of the cages, propped up against the bronze bars. The stone was triangular in shape and had two dots on it. Maybe it was something important.

Will picked the stone up, turning it over in his hands. It looked like it could fit somewhere. Igglybuff hopped off of Will’s shoulder and walked down his arm to get a better look.  

“Will, Percy will leave us behind at this point. Please hurry,” Hazel said, stopping for him again.

Will waved the stone at her, pointing at it. “Right. I found this weird thing on the floor. Think it has any use?”

Hazel focused on the rock. Her eyes went wide. “Get rid of that!”

“What?”

“Drop it!”

Igglybuff hopped back onto Will’s shoulder as Will dropped the stone at his feet, confused. It was just a rock. But it began to shake and clatter against the marble floor. An intense blue smoke started to emerge from the thing, thickening as it gained a form. Will took a few steps back, watching as a Pokémon with purple will-o-wisps and a crooked smile emerged from the rock. The neon blue smoke that made up the Pokémon’s body seemed to morph into a hundred faces crying out in pain.

The Pokémon writhed out of the stone in agony, trying to split apart and scatter into pieces. Finally, after its full form emerged, the Pokémon’s body seemed to come together as a single thinking being.

Will was too surprised to move. The Pokémon smiled wickedly, opening its ethereal jaws to attack Will, and then –

A pressurized yet thin blast of water shot into the Pokémon, leaving a hole in its gaseous body. Two more torrents of water dissipated the rest. Percy placed a hand on Will’s shoulder. He must have come running when Hazel shouted at Will. He was holding his other hand out as if he had sprained it.

“Did it get you?” Percy looked Will over, his angered expression turned into a cautious one.

“No. No, I don’t think so,” Will ran his hand through his hair, letting out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He turned to look at Igglybuff. The Pokémon was spooked, but totally fine. “W-what was that?”

“Tormented souls,” Hazel said, looking mortified. “Trapped in keystones, forming Spiritomb. They’re Pokémon. It’s supposed to be a punishment for wrongdoers. But this … it looked different. Could it be that …”

Hazel’s voice trailed off as they looked around the corridor more closely. The place was littered with them. Maybe Will was too distracted to notice it before, but every cage had at least one or two of the odd-looking keystones hidden in the shadows. A feeling of dread clung in the air as they realized what all of this meant.

Percy’s expression hardened. “Kronos was sick. Draining Pokémon’s power and using it to build his own.” He picked up the keystone at Will’s feet. “Come on. We have to let these souls rest.”

“What about your hand? What happened to it?” Will asked.

Percy held up his hand. “There’s not a lot of water up here. I had to pull from the humidity, which is kinda hard. I think I overdid it. The energy drain probably isn’t helping either. Don’t worry about it,” Percy said firmly as Will was about to argue. “Let’s get to work. We don’t have much time.”

 

* * *

 

“Just do it,” Nico rolled his eyes.

“I’m not sure about this,” Jason replied.

“Eat the damn root and quit being a baby,” Nico scoffed, shaking the not-Energy Root in Jason’s face. Jason took it hesitantly, turning the root in his hands.

“Are you sure it’s safe?”

“Ninety-nine percent positive. Now hurry up.”

“Where’d you get this, anyway?”

“Will gave it to me. Now hurry _up,_ ” Nico said, his patience wearing thin. Jason was having a hard time recovering. Nico thought it was because they were in the Underworld, but Jason claimed that because the Underworld was underground, it was messing with him specifically. Whatever that meant. Nico hoped that the root would have a similar effect on people like it did on Pokémon. At least enough to keep Jason from dying.

Jason bit into the root tentatively, making a bitter face. “This tastes awful.”

“It shouldn’t. It’s not an Energy Root.”

“I think it’s worse. Gods, nature is cruel.”

Maybe the tastelessness only affected Pokémon. Good to know.

As Jason worked his way through the root, Nico kept a watch around them. The Onyxes hadn’t appeared again, but they had come across some nasty Ghost-types that were keen on fighting them. Jason told him that they were the souls of warriors who had died a long time ago. What they were doing in the Fields of Asphodel was a mystery.

“So, this Will,” Jason said before he started on the second bite of the root. “Who is he?”

Nico raised an eyebrow, not really wanting to answer. At least Jason was too distracted with the bitterness of the root to pay much attention. He made a weird face before continuing.

“Is he like a friend or something?”

“You’re really oblivious, aren’t you?” Nico said with a sigh.

Jason stared at him blankly before realization struck him. “Oh. He’s … Okay, yeah. Lucky guy.”

“Just eat the root,” Nico turned away, starting to follow the river that they had found. Cubone hadn’t left his side since the Onyx attack. The Pokémon was probably feeling fidgety.

Nico had no idea what time it was because his Monitor had gone haywire with interference, but he guessed that they had gone missing from Othrys for eight hours, at most. Which placed the time at about six in the morning, give or take. They needed to get back fast, or else they would miss the rainbow at the top of the mountain.

This river would lead them somewhere, eventually. And while Nico was doubtful that they could just walk out of the Underworld or even find themselves in Othrys when they exited, it was their only choice.

Jason caught up to him, still grimacing at the taste of the root. “I think it worked, but gods was it not worth it. That was disgusting.”

“Alternatively, you could just die. In the face of bitter flavors, death is obviously the better choice,” Nico said wryly, rolling his eyes.

“I think that was a joke,” Jason said. Nico sighed, ignoring him. “Watch out for that hole, ahead, by the way. It looks like another one that leads to Tartarus.”

Nico shook his head. “You mean the giant, ominous looking one? I hadn’t – seen … it.”

He couldn’t finish his sentence properly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a neon blue cloud with bright wisps come out of the hole. Nothing could come out of there. Right?

Cubone growled as the cloud drifted out of the abyss. It swirled in place before forming into a swirling mess of wisps and the faces of tortured souls before growing an ethereal face. It smiled wickedly as it slumped across the floor. But it didn’t notice them. Instead, it drifted away and disappeared into the air, morphing as it went.

More continued to appear out of the ground, one by one. Soon, a steady stream of blue cloud-souls was flying out of the abyss in different directions. None of them seemed to notice Nico or Jason, but they didn’t look friendly, either. Their disgruntled faces and churning bodies gave Nico the impression that they would attack if disturbed. Some of them were even clumping together into bigger clouds, forming a larger and scarier face.

Jason tapped Nico on the shoulder, signaling for them to move away slowly. The sound of the river helped muffle their footsteps, but even then, Nico was cautious about stepping on any stone that might draw attention to them if stepped on.

They quietly walked around the pit, keeping a wide berth, until they were on the opposite side. And even after all that time, the stream of souls would not stop. They walked away until Nico was sure they were out of danger.

“You said things don’t escape Tartarus,” Nico said.

Jason shook his head. “I know what I said. These Spiritombs could only be a bad omen. They’ve even managed to escape the keystones that imprison them. I’ve seen these oddly colored Spiritombs before, on Mount Othrys a couple years back. They were dangerous when locked up with their keystones, which means they’re more threatening now. Keep your guard up and let’s get moving. It’s more important than ever that we get out of here and talk to the others.”

That sounded like a good plan. It wasn’t like they had a different one before, though.

Still, Nico felt wrong for allowing all those Spiritombs to continue to escape. It wasn’t right. He could feel their pain, literally. Maybe it was like the death-life energy vibes he got off of everything else. Those Spiritombs were made up of hundreds of souls mixed into one. Like a compressed super version of a soul. And it felt like the end of their lives was painful and cruel, to the point that they turned violent and uncontrollable.

The sensation was so strong that Nico felt a sudden desire to lash out for no apparent reason.

On second thought, getting away from them was a better idea. Nico picked up the pace with Cubone following closely.

 

* * *

 

“We’ll have to come back for these,” Percy sighed, gesturing at the impossibly large corridor that still held too many keystones to count. If Will had to guess, they had probably smashed only ten percent of them. And yet, Will was out of breath, sweaty, and wishing he could get this over with.

Breaking keystones wasn’t easy. Will found out that they frustratingly resilient, as any rock worth its salt was.

 _‘Ah, lame puns. You keep me going at the worst of times,’_ Will thought as he wiped his forehead. He was skeptical of the whole “breaking the keystones” thing.

“Wouldn’t that just let the Spiritombs out?” Will had asked.

Percy turned that idea down. “Kill the source, snuff out the residual stuff.”

Even then, it seemed too harsh to simply _destroy_ the keystones and literally destabilize the Spiritomb’s existence. Regardless, they had spent a good amount of time splitting keystones and crushing them before the Spiritomb could awaken. Will preferred to think about it as setting them free rather than vaporizing their existence.

“It’s getting late,” Hazel chided. “We only have a few hours left. Let’s try and hurry. I think this door’s an exit.”

Good. Will’s hands were starting to hurt. Igglybuff was starting to get bored, too.

They still had no idea where they were going.

The castle eventually led them back to the ground floor, but with such a big place, it was hard to determine if they were headed in the right direction.

“Hey Hazel,” Will tapped on Hazel’s shoulder. “I can’t help but feel we messed up.”

Hazel gave him a quizzical look. “In what regard?”

Will shook his head, glancing behind them. “It wasn’t right to destroy those Spiritomb. Being subjected to inhumane conditions until they died wasn’t their fault.”

Hazel offered a weak, sympathetic smile. “It was the best we could do for them, Will. A Spiritomb’s existence is punishment for misdeeds. You can find them in the Fields of P – well, somewhere else. But these Pokémon were created differently. I doubt any of the original souls were bad. They were in pain. Undoing their form was the only thing that would ease that pain for them.”

“How can you be so sure?” Will asked.

“Truthfully, I don’t,” Hazel admitted. “These Spiritomb are different from the ones I know. To be perfectly candid, I can’t shake the feeling that there’s more to them than their color,” Hazel grimaced, looking down at the ground. “You’re right. We might have made a mistake.”

Will looked at her somber expression, filled with genuine concern. He didn’t know what to say.

“You should trust that gut feeling, because it’s usually right. I still have trouble doing that sometimes,” Hazel sighed. “We’ll come back for those keystones and do things the right way. I’ll make sure we get one back to Chiron.”

“Guys, check this out,” Percy called out. He was already at the end of the hallway, holding a door open. They jogged over to him. Percy nodded towards the next room. “There’s an exit, but it’s kinda … blocked.”

Will peered into the room. It was an enormous chamber with a high ceiling. In the center of the room stood an enormous Golurk facing away from them. It was almost tall enough to touch the ceiling.

Will sighed in relief. He thought that they would find more Spiritombs or something. But a Golurk? What a relief. He had heard about these Pokémon – there wasn’t any danger here if what he knew was correct. “What’s the problem? Let’s go.”

“No,” Percy said firmly.

“What? Golurks protect innocent people and Pokémon. It’s entirely harmless.”

“Will,” Hazel said. “If it’s here, don’t you think it might protect the palace from _us_?”

That was a good point. Will hadn’t thought of that. So much for trusting his instincts.

“But … it doesn’t even have power. It’s dormant, and probably hasn’t moved in years,” Will pointed at the crack on its back. “See? No power.”

Percy and Hazel exchanged glances. In Will’s opinion, they didn’t have much choice. It was either this or roaming the castle more until they could find another exit. Percy sighed.

“I guess,” Percy said. “But I’ll go first. You and Hazel follow if the coast is clear.”

Both Will and Hazel nodded in agreement. After a bit of hesitation, Percy walked into the room. Maybe he was expecting for the Golurk to activate the second he stepped into the room, because Percy flinched upon taking the first step. But the Pokémon remained still, and its cracks weren’t glowing. So far so good.

The lighting wasn’t that great in here, with the only light coming from the open door on the other side of the room. Because of that, it was easy for rubble to hide in the darkness. Percy tripped over a few rocks on his way around the Golurk.

Percy managed to reach the doorway without too many casualties. And the Golurk still hadn’t activated. After a pause, Percy gave Will the thumbs-up.

The rocks laid claim to two more stubbed toes and a single full-blown trip by the time Will caught up to Percy. Even though the Golurk was dormant, it still felt like the Pokémon was watching them. Its soulless empty eyes stared at him as he walked.

 _‘Now you’re just paranoid,’_ Will thought to himself.

Hazel followed close behind him, and soon after they had all reached the end. Will let out a sigh.

“Okay,” Percy said, turning to face the open door to the outside. “Good job, Will. Let’s get out of this place.”

The ground beneath them sunk a little, and a switch clicked.

 _‘Oh no,’_ Will thought. _‘Weight sensitive tile. Or something._ ’

Behind them, the Golurk began to glow, a low growl coming from the center of its chest. But that wasn’t the scary part. The worst part was that the light coming out of the Pokémon’s body wasn’t yellow, but a lime green. This Pokémon was also oddly-colored, just like the Spiritomb. Will was starting to see a pattern here.

Percy grabbed Will by the shoulder and pushed him towards the exit. The Golurk looked down at them and took an earth-moving step forward, throwing Will off balance.

“Look out!” Will warned, pointing at the Golurk’s rapidly swooping arm.

Too late. The Pokémon grabbed both Hazel and Percy at the same time before raising them up into the air. The Golurk held them up high, its other hand forming a fist.

 _‘Think Solace, think! Golurk is too big for Iggs … maybe Psyduck could do something,’_ Will scrambled to get Psyduck’s PokéBall out.

Suddenly, an enormous cascade of water burst out of the side of the wall, knocking Golurk over. The water seemed to have a mind of its own, crashing over the Pokémon violently and thrashing about relentlessly. Will watched in horror, trying to see where Percy and Hazel were.

As quickly as the attack had come, the wave of water subsided. Cold water washed over Will’s ankles, completely submerging his feet and sending a chill up his spine. Percy and Hazel suddenly appeared out of the Golurk’s grasp as the water pushed them towards Will. They were unharmed and perfectly dry.

The attack had knocked the Golurk out.

Percy gripped his stomach, breathing hard. He tried to play it off and act coolly, but he wasn’t fooling anyone. He would have fallen if Hazel hadn’t caught him.

“What’s wrong?” Hazel asked.

“That hurt,” Percy hissed. “It never hurts.”

“You’re overexerting yourself,” Will said, kneeling down to inspect him. He lifted Percy’s shirt, but didn’t see anything that might tell him what was wrong. No bruises, scrapes, or other injuries. “You did a huge number on that Golurk.”

“Hard to tire,” Percy muttered.

Roughly, that translated into, “I don’t overexert my power this easily”.

“It’s because of where we are. Let’s take a breather,” Will said. “How were you able to get so much water.”

“Groundwater in the mountain,” Percy said. “Shouldn’t have been painful to control.”

Behind them, the Golem began to turn to dust. But Will was too busy to care about that. He had to tend to Percy. Even if he wasn’t supposed to use his power, this was clearly an emergency. Besides, Percy had done a bad job at being a role model.

Igglybuff hopped on Will’s shoulder. “Buff!”

“Don’t worry about it Iggs, I’ll handle this,” Will turned to Percy. “Got any favorite songs?”

 

* * *

 

The ground began to shake beneath their feet. At first, Nico thought it was the Onyx again. But the force was too strong for that. No, it was definitely something much bigger – and that was saying something, considering how enormous an Onyx actually was.

As Nico held his balance against the force of the vibrations, the ground in front of them began to split open and crack. In no time, a huge pit started to form. A bottomless pit that was eerily pitch black. Another one-way ticket to Tartarus.

Did these holes always open up like this? And why was it so big? Nico wanted to ask Jason, but he suddenly felt … an enormous presence of some kind.

“There’s something coming out of the pit,” Nico told Jason, who was keeping his balance fairly well. Whatever it was, its energy was intense, cold, and definitely not friendly. It was neither dead nor alive, but … a thing. That didn’t make sense to Nico.

They didn’t have any cards to play. Something that large was not going to be easy to battle, which they were in no state to do. Even if Jason was feeling better, he was still slow, so running wasn’t a great solution, either. A field of grass wasn’t exactly the best place to hide. The river was seriously off-putting and felt dangerous to jump in.

Jason seemed to be thinking the same thing.

“You’ve got the power to control the earth. It’s our only choice,” Jason said.

 _‘Right. Because I know how to do that,’_ Nico thought. But he was already trying to will the earth to change before he could finish the thought. The pit was widening, and Nico could feel the monster’s presence getting closer still. He had only a few seconds at best.

What was he even supposed to do, anyway? Move his hands? Imagine the ground closing? Ask nicely?

“A little guidance!” Nico yelled after a second of panicked hesitation.

“Just – make it happen! It’s an extension of yourself, like moving your body!” Jason replied as a few sparks flashed across his hand in demonstration. As if that helped.

“What kind of existential crap is that?” Nico scowled, turning to look back at the widening pit. He felt stupid for holding his hands up to force the hole closed. He must have looked stupid, too, because nothing happened.

He strained himself to really focus and will the ground to close up. He got light-headed from holding his breath, forcing every ounce of his being to make the ground close up. But nothing was happening. Whatever was coming out of that hole was mere seconds away now. The pain in his arms was too strong to bear now.

A drop of sweat rolled down his forehead as he made one final attempt, channeling every ounce of his mind to the task at hand. And still, nothing.

Time seemed to come to crawl as the pit emitted a neon green glow. He was trying too hard at doing nothing. He was doing this wrong. His mind drifted to the moment when he woke up earlier. How the ground had formed into crystalline spikes pointed away from him, as if the ground was trying to protect him from whatever he had been dreaming about.

He hadn’t _willed_ the earth to do anything. He hadn’t even been awake. It was an unintentional impulse, like waking up from a nightmare and instinctively acting out because of it. So … he didn’t make the earth do anything.

So instead of trying to get the earth to move, he simply had to move it. It was confusing logic, but Jason had actually said it way better. As the thing inside the pit neared the exit, Nico held up a hand and closed the ground up as easily as he would close his open palm.

Instantly, the pit complied, closing itself off in the blink of an eye and forming crystallized black spikes that blocked over where the opening was. A muffled thunk beneath the ground told Nico that whatever was down there had slammed into the sealed off ground.

Nico breathed out a sigh of relief. The tingling feeling in his arms felt dull, as if he had reigned some of it in. It still hurt, though.

“You did it,” Jason said. Cubone nodded in agreement, climbing onto Nico’s shoulder. “Great jo-“

The spikes crumbled into pieces as they flew into the air. A titan of a Pokémon blasted itself out of the ground, its black rock-like body and neon green cracks looking worn down. In one quick motion, the Pokémon brought down a shadowy fist onto them. It was too fast.

Filled with a new sense of resolve, Nico reached upwards towards the fist. He grabbed Jason by the collar. If he could just get this right …

The fist slammed down into the ground, sending pieces of rubble flying into the air. But the trio had slipped away into the shadows, plunging into darkness. Nico envisioned the mountains, in the exact spot where they had disappeared into the Underworld, and the shadows complied.

But in a hasty decision, Nico suddenly thought about the top of the mountain. Could he go to a place he hadn’t been to before? The shadows guided them in another direction as Nico finished the thought. It took a while to travel through this time. Blind and unable to do anything, Nico held onto Cubone and Jason as best he could.

Finally, they phased through the ground. Nico suddenly felt overwhelmed with the amount of stuff he could feel, even if it was all far away. After a quick look around and a few seconds to catch his breath, he got the answer to his question.

Could the shadows take him to places that he hadn’t been to? Yes, they could.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost done with this part of the quest!
> 
> Unfortunately, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed, so there won't be an update next week. Apologies if it's being reflected in my writing. If anything changes, I'll edit the endnotes.
> 
> Thanks for reading,
> 
> Cheers!


	23. The End of the Rainbow

Nico kicked a pebble out of boredom. It skidded across the rocky plateau before flying off the cliff. From his spot by the altar, he had a complete view of the mountaintop. Even up here, there was still a vast cloud cover that made the day muggy and humid. The kind of weather you’d expect out of a summer’s rainy day, despite it being winter.

It had been an hour since they arrived at the top. No one else was here. Just a shoddy altar on a platform and some runes that told Nico they were in the right place.

Jason was about to fall apart. Well, sort of. Apparently, their ride back (which he called “shadow traveling”) to the Othrys mountains took a real toll on Jason – Nico hadn’t considered the guy was slowly dying when he made the jump. But it was that or getting crushed to death by an enormous ethereal fist.

At the same time, Jason seemed to be recovering faster in the open air. Maybe the high altitude was doing him some good. He seemed to have a heavy association with the sky, at any rate. Still, the heavy weight of the draining effect wasn’t welcome.

“Next time, it’d be nice to know you’re a child of Hades,” Jason said suddenly from his spot against a pillar.

“Didn’t seem important at the time,” Nico shrugged, looking across the empty plateau.

“At least we’re out of there,” Jason sighed.

“Don’t die,” Nico said plainly. “I didn’t go through all of that just so you could kick the bucket.”

Jason huffed. “I still don’t get your humor. Maybe one day.”

_‘That wasn’t a joke,’_ Nico thought.

He picked at the ground, feeling the dirt beneath his fingertips. He couldn’t manipulate it here. He felt out of tune with it. It wasn’t very receptive to his will.

_‘Maybe Underworld dirt is easier to control,’_ Nico thought. _‘Or maybe it was the adrenaline that did it.’_

“That’s how it goes,” Jason said, nodding at Nico. He must have seen Nico grasping the dirt in a thoughtful sort of way. “Don’t worry too much about it. Soon enough you’ll be able to control it freely.”

“Do you get a painful tingly feeling in your arms?” Nico asked, thinking about the dull thud that had started since his dad had ignited that searing pain in his stomach. “Like your hands have gone to sleep or something, but painful?”

Jason contemplated the question. “Not that I know of, no. I had a similar thing happen to me when I received my blessing. Except it was a jabbing pain on my temple. I reckon it has to do with the power having trouble manifesting in your body. It’s too great. But once I was able to control it, the pain went away. The same is probably true for you.”

“How much did it hurt?”

“Oh, um,” Jason paused. “A little. Enough to be annoying, but not an unbearable pain. It hurt the most when I couldn’t control my powers. Why? How badly does it hurt?”

Nico thought about the prickling sensation in his arms. About how the pain was constantly there, flaring up at random times and how bad it got once or twice during the time in the Underworld. And then he thought about how Jason had seen him as a threat to their safety when he woke up from that dream.

“It’s nothing I can’t handle,” Nico replied. And it was true. The pain, however great, wasn’t something that bothered him too much.

Jason stared at him, probably trying to figure out Nico’s vague answer. “You’re not alone in this, you know. If something’s the matter, you shouldn’t keep it to yourself.”

“I know. I’m _fine_ ,” Nico said, with such a firm air of finality that it came off as defensive. He hadn’t meant for it to sound like that. Now he was never going to get Jason off of his back. Because that was the kind of person that Jason was. Overly-invested.

Jason only hummed in response, clearly not impressed. This wouldn’t be the last time the topic would be brought up again. Nico regretted putting it on his radar.

Nico suddenly felt two life forces approaching them from the other side of the plateau. Someone was arriving. Realistically, it had to be one of their own. Whether it was Leo and Frank or Piper and Annabeth was up in the air, but it was definitely someone. Then again, it could be somebody else. Terras, maybe. Or even Pokémon.

It was a bit of a stretch, but too many things were in play right now. Nico retreated behind a pillar, thankful that Jason was already concealed in his spot. Lugging him around would have wasted time.

Nico listened carefully as the two life forces climbed up the last steps to the plateau. Their breathing was shallow and tired.

“I’m worried about them,” Piper said. “We should have stayed back to look for them longer.”

“I know,” Annabeth replied, her voice hoarse and distraught. “I know. I should have been more careful.”

Jason leaned out from behind the pillar, to Nico’s dismay. “Hey! Over here.”

“You’re just … _real smart_ , aren’t you,” Nico muttered as he combed back his hair, defeated.

Jason gave him a confused glance before turning back to Piper and Annabeth.

“Jason! Gods, what’re you doing up here?” Piper said, but she didn’t come close to them. Annabeth held her back.

Cubone growled at the pair of them.

“Nico, what gives?” Jason said with an abrasive tone.

“A lot of crap has happened on this mountain in the last forty-eight hours – they could have been Dittos or something. A trap, a way to drag anyone who was already here. I don’t know,” Nico said looking over Annabeth and Piper for a sign of fakeness.

Annabeth appeared in Nico’s field of view, holding out a bronze dagger at them. She had a glare in her eye. She must have signaled Piper to stay back.

“What’re you doing?” Jason asked. As if Nico hadn’t just explained it.

Nico knew they were doomed now. They were in no position to fight. And even if he was, Nico had no clue what to do in hand-to-hand combat. There was never a reason to.

“Don’t worry,” Annabeth said, fastening the grip on her dagger. Not exactly a reassurance. “I can prove we’re not doppelgangers. The morning I went to get you, you and Will were talking about that sweater you’re wearing. You said it made you look like a Jolly Rancher. Now you. Tell me something mundane and unimportant. A detail that nobody would bother with learning from you.”

The dagger glinted menacingly. 

Nico took a second to recall something from the last few days. “Percy was nodding off when we arrived at the lab. He woke up saying ‘not the Horsea’ and tried to play it cool.”

Annabeth let out a sigh of relief, stowing away her dagger and taking out a roll of gauze from her bag as she gave Piper a sign. “Nico was right, Jason. We could have been decoys.”

Piper made her way to Jason, holding the gauze.

“Am I missing something here?” Jason asked reproachfully. He hissed when Piper undid the makeshift bandage on his arm.

“We’re not the only ones on this mountain. We came across a Terras base on our way up here. It was a temporary set-up, mind you, but it looked like they’ve been here for a couple of days. What happened to you two? We didn’t notice you were missing until we stumbled across Terras. We assumed you had been taken hostage.”

"Terras?" Nico asked. "Why were they set up here?"

"It's a safe bet that they're here for the same reason we are. But I doubt its anything major - maybe even trying to stop us from reaching here. From the looks of it, they weren't all that prepared, anyway," Annabeth explained. "What happened to you?"

“It’s a bit of a long story,” Jason said, biting his lip as Piper started to bandage his wound up properly. “Ow, not so hard, Piper.”

“Not my fault you don’t know how to bandage yourself.”

“I did the best I could with one hand.”

Piper tightened the gauze a little more. Jason flinched but, continued on. “It’s a long story, so if we have the time …”

“I think we have enough,” Annabeth said. “No one’s up here yet, and Ho-Oh should be here soon.”

“This is Nico’s story to tell, then,” Jason said.

All eyes landed on him. Sighing, Nico readjusted himself into a more comfortable sitting position. Retelling this was getting kinda old.

It didn’t take long. Nico glossed over a lot of it, not minding the details and skipping over some things altogether, like when Hades told him there’d be death at the top of the mountain. Clearly. They were simply drowning in so much death up here, Nico could hardly breathe.

Nico skimmed over the Onyx and the Spiritomb and finally ended it with a brief explanation about how they shadow-traveled out of there. By the end of it, Nico’s throat was dry from talking too much.

“The Spiritombs, they weren’t chained to their keystones,” Jason said as Nico finished. “And they were a different kind of Spiritomb – blue and pink, like the ones I encountered at Kronos’ palace when we seized it all those years back.”

Annabeth was harder to read than usual. She spoke after a while. “Nothing should be able to escape Tartarus, but you say they were coming out in a steady stream. If these are the Spiritomb from the siege on the palace, then there’s a little bit of hope. It means Tartarus has been opened for only a short while.”

“Agreed,” Jason moved his arm slowly from side to side. “The Golurk was also something we encountered during the siege. The giants were the last line of defense before reaching Krios. So it makes sense that they would appear around the same time.”

“Quick interruption,” Piper said. “But if Tartarus is no longer able to hold back said monsters, why weren’t there more coming out? By the droves, even?”

“Well, let’s assume Gaea is behind this. Whatever way she’s managed to pull it off, it has to have an extremely limited use,” Annabeth mused.

“Which means she’s gotten stronger,” Piper added. “But the temples are on high alert right now.”

“We can only assume she’s managed to nab another relic of power. If not more,” Jason said.

Nico only listened. As was the case back at Chiron’s place, he simply faded into the background during their discussions. Not that Nico minded – he was wiped from all of this talking anyway.

It was a bit unnerving how easily these people thought so … clearly. How they seemed to think on the fly and were able to bounce ideas off each other like a fine-tuned machine.

Jason tapped Nico on the shoulder with his good hand. “Nico, any input?”

“Um,” Nico paused, caught off-guard. “I couldn’t feel the Onyx’s life force. So there’s that.”

“Life force?” Annabeth asked.

“Yeah. Ever since my dad – Hades – ever since he gave me his blessing or whatever, I sense these waves of energy from souls. So far, I’ve felt three. Living energy, dead energy and whatever kind of energy that Golurk was giving off. But nothing was coming from the Onyx.”

“That’s … slightly disturbing,” Jason said. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

“Like most things, it didn’t seem relevant at the time,” Nico sighed.

“It … it could have been anything. Maybe because it was a Rock-type? It’s possible you’re only able to detect organic life. That would explain the Golurk being different. It’s an automaton. They’re sort of a special case,” Annabeth shook her head. “But frankly, that’s just a possibility. We shouldn’t rule out others.”

“Whatever the case may be, at least we’re ahead of the curve. We know that Gaea’s able to open holes into the Underworld for things to escape Tartarus,” Jason said. “And that it just started happening. Maybe we can kill the fire before it spreads.”

Annabeth nodded. “The first step is meeting Ho-Oh. Let’s get that over with.”

Nico looked around. It was getting late. Where was everybody? Where was Ho-Oh?

A sinking feeling settled in his stomach, suddenly. There was the distinct chance that they were wrong in coming here. That there wasn’t anything to see, and that they had just wasted time. Two and half days of time. Somehow, he recalled something Gaea said to him, though he wasn’t quite sure when or where.

_‘Apart from being hours away from your deaths, you couldn’t be further away from achieving your goal.’_

That didn’t sit well with Nico.

_‘Only death awaits you atop that mountain. I would know,’_ his dad had said.

What if the others had already arrived before them, and had met a terrible fate? Nico pushed the thought aside. That wasn’t right. It couldn’t be right.

It wasn’t right. Nico felt new life forces coming up the mountain. Three? Four?

_‘Definitely three. But one of them feels really strong …’_ Nico thought. He suddenly perked up, getting a tingling feeling of familiarity.

It was Will. It had to be.

He didn’t tell the others that they were approaching. Annabeth would probably stop them and question them, and Nico didn’t have time for that. He _knew_ it was Will. And nothing in the world could get between them.

Nico stood up, looking at the other end of the plateau. Any second now …

He saw Percy’s head pop out over the edge. It was definitely them, and that meant Will wasn’t too far behind. Next was Hazel, and finally –

The sky began to rumble. The clouds parted, revealing a single ray of sunshine. A strong, violent life force washed over Nico. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a large bird-Pokémon descend from the sky. It was red and gold.

Nico huffed, almost angry at the Pokémon for appearing. Could it not have waited only a couple more minutes? Nico made one final effort to try and see Will coming over the edge, but the Pokémon was too close to ignore now.

Truthfully, Nico had secretly wondered what a Legendary’s life force would feel like after he started to get the hang of his new power. He imagined something powerful and elegant. Pleasant and awe-inspiring.

The reality? The life force emitting from Ho-Oh was overbearing.

It hurt like hell. The force was so strong and unwieldy. It felt like Nico was staring at the sun – painful and blinding, a raw energy that was so hard to look at. Savage and primal. It made Nico retract back to try and shield himself from the sheer amount of violent power. He must have looked like an idiot, protecting himself from nothing.

Ho-Oh landed in the middle of the plateau, its golden-rainbow wings stretching out in a “U” shape as it cocked its head. Nico could barely see a woman jumping off of the Pokémon.

Iris. Her energy was indistinguishable from the Pokémon’s.

Iris hopped off of Ho-Oh and began walking towards them, a small wooden box in hand. She didn’t acknowledge their presence.

Iris seemed different since the last time Nico had seen her back at the shop. She had a heavenly glow and wore a pristine white gown that dragged behind her. Aside from the prism scales on her necklace, she also wore a few in her hair. Her presence was god-like.

Iris faltered as she reached the altar, finally noticing them.

The air was thick with suspense. It felt like a fitting end to their three-day quest. She was about to do something that would make it all worth it. Probably something as graceful as her presence.

“Oh. You’re … that kid from Route 10,” Iris said. Her casual tone threw off her entire holy appearance.

“Y-yeah,” Nico said, frowning. He had trouble forming words at the moment. Being exposed to intense auras as harsh as direct sunlight made his brain hurt.

“You’re stronger than before. More … defined and focused,” Iris continued.

“Um,” Nico paused. After all he had been through, small talk wasn’t the pay-off he had expected. Or wanted. “Sure. We’re on a quest and the prophecy we were given led us here. And –“

“And you want me to help you,” Iris said with a sad grimace.

“Yeah,” Nico replied.

“I’m sorry to waste your time – time is of the essence in your journey. But I have nothing for you.”

Annabeth, who had been silent since Ho-Oh had landed, stepped forward. Both Jason and Piper simply looked on, taking the back seat in this discussion.

“Pardon, Iris,” Annabeth offered a bow, “But we’ve come here because the first line of the prophecy starts with the sky and the ground meeting. We assumed it had to do with the Rainbow Pokémon landing on the Othrys mountains.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” Iris mused. “I commend you for thinking of it in that way. But I don’t have anything for you.”

The words didn’t sound right. Iris had to be joking, because if she wasn’t then they had not only wasted three days-worth of precious time, but they endured the worst conditions Nico had ever been in for nothing. Gaea was stronger now. They were at their weakest. It _had_ to be some kind of sick joke.

Jason and Piper exchanged nervous glances. Annabeth looked at a loss for words. She had been wrong. _They_ had been wrong. And Nico, despite his doubts about the whole thing, hadn’t once voiced his concerns to them.

It wasn’t like Nico’s intentions were clever or anything. He was simply against this group of people – his sister included – who were so clearly heroes in every way, telling him and Will what to do. If it were up to him, he would have let them go on their own while he and Will did things their own way. Purely out of spite for how they were treating them like children.

His spite would have saved them a hell of a lot of trouble.

“I can offer you passage off of the mountain, if you like,” Iris offered sympathetically. “After I finish my task.”

“Of … of course,” Annabeth said, deflated and hollow.

Behind Iris, Ho-Oh began to make short screeching noises. It looked agitated. Probably by how long this whole process was taking. Iris simply gave a short nod to the Pokémon before climbing up the steps of the altar.

“This is the first feather that Ho-Oh ever dropped,” Iris said as she set the box down and opened it. A brilliant glow came from inside. “The most potent of any Rainbow Feather, and a catalyst of Ho-Oh’s power. Every couple of years, Ho-Oh and I travel from Mount Olympus on the East to Othrys on the West. Placing the feather here will cast a golden rainbow that stretches from one location to the other, filling the region with luck and prosperity.”

Iris reached into the box but hesitated just as she was about to pull the Rainbow Wing out. She turned on the spot, her expression alarmed.

“Someone else is here,” she said. Her life force flared, making Nico flinch. Ho-Oh began looking around the plateau with its intense red-eyed gaze.

Suddenly, Nico remembered. “Oh! There's more people on the other end of the plateau. They’re with us!”

“No. There’s something … malefic here. Detestable. Evil,” Iris said with a sour face, as if the thing she was describing was beneath her. Nico wondered where that quirky shop-keep personality was now.

“Terras,” Piper said quietly. “Terras is here!”

As if on cue, a dozen or so forms on each side of the plateau emerged. Each of them carried a PokéBall, which they tossed towards Ho-Oh, releasing a drove of Tangelas. The Pokémon all created vines aimed to ensnare Ho-Oh.

Ho-Oh’s reaction was instantaneous. Nico barely had time to process what was going on, but Ho-Oh released a screech and spread its wings, releasing a wave of fire that traveled across the plateau. The intense flames were only surpassed in power by the sheer amount of rage that pulsed through the Legendary’s energy. It hurt Nico to his core.

The Tangelas and their vines fell to the ground, defeated in one swift attack. But a new wave of Pokémon appeared from behind the Terras grunts hanging on the edge of the cliff. They had white cloaks and large fan-like leaves. Shiftrys.

The Pokémon clapped their leaves together in unison, creating gusts of wind that were strong enough to push Nico up against the pillar he was leaning on. Jason and the others were having a hard time keeping themselves in place. Ho-Oh, however, seemed unfazed. The Pokémon spouted flames from its beak, but the Shiftry were nimble. The Grass-types dodged every one of Ho-Oh’s attacks, even at astounding speed.

Iris stepped forth. Her elegance was gone. Her aura was one of burning, unsettling fury – any trace of the jovial woman behind the counter of a weird organic shop was nowhere to be found.

“You dare attack us, mortals?” she said, sounding eerily like the way Gaea did when she talked. Full of raw power and strength that echoed through the air. In the back of Nico’s mind, he still didn’t find this display of power to be nearly as intimidating as his father’s presence, though. “You dare challenge the power of a goddess?”

Iris raised her hand, and it began to drizzle. The sunlight and water droplets combined to form a rainbow above them, giving Ho-Oh’s feathers an opalescent glow. Iris brought her hand forward as if striking something down.

A bolt of lightning crashed down onto one of the Shiftry, but the lightning didn’t stop there. With Ho-Oh’s cry, the lightning connected with every single one of the Pokémon, bringing the Shiftrys to a jittering halt. The Pokémon shuddered and jostled in place before finally collapsing onto the ground with their fellow Tangela. It was a gruesome sight.

The Terras grunts hanging off the edge of the plateau suddenly retreated, leaving their fallen Pokémon behind. Annabeth and Piper made an attempt to follow, but Iris held them back with an outstretched hand.

“Don’t bother. I’ll deal with them soon enough,” Iris said. She sighed and loosened her posture as her life energy fell back to its normal intensity. Ho-Oh, however, was still agitated. Her voice was normal when she spoke again. “You mortals are becoming braver every century.”

“I never thought they would be stupid enough to outright attack a Legendary,” Jason huffed.

“Agreed,” Annabeth said grimly. “That means they only pose more of a threat.”

Iris watched them for a few seconds before turning back to the altar.

She faltered, and Nico felt her life energy flare up again, but this time in shock and disbelief.

“No … it can’t be.”

They all turned to see Iris hunched over the altar, pressing at the edges so hard that they were crumbling beneath her grasp. Nico leaned over to see what was happening. The box was gone.

“The Rainbow Wing,” Nico said quietly.

Terras had stolen the Rainbow Wing. The attacks were merely a distraction.

A woman’s sleepy, soft laugh echoed across the mountain. It was calm and collected, but taunting all the same. It was as if the mountain was amused at what had just happened.

Gaea.

Iris turned around, her expression gaunt.

“How can we help?” Annabeth asked urgently.

Jason struggled to his feet and stood alongside her and Piper. Not that anything could be done. If Gaea had taken the Rainbow Wing, they wouldn’t be able to take it back. She had probably already absorbed its power.

“Leave,” Iris said, eyeing Ho-Oh. The Pokémon had gone stiff, staring at the ground as it drew heavy breathes.

“What?” the three of them said in unison.

“Leave!” Iris said, more firmly than before. “Ho-Oh – it’s power is changing. It’s … it’s …”

Iris dropped to the ground, hands gripping at her chest. The Legendary’s golden glow faded. The rainbow above them dissipated. The drizzle that Iris had summoned stopped. It was as if the Pokémon was losing its power. Even its life force became dull.

And then, suddenly, Nico felt that same life force grow strong again. But this time, it was more sinister and vile. A muddled sort of muck suffocated Ho-Oh’s strength.

Nico got to his feet, wary as the Legendary Pokémon flew into the air, overwhelmed.

“What’s happening?” Jason asked.

“Ho-Oh’s become corrupted,” Annabeth said before Nico could speak. She had pieced it together, even without all the things Nico could feel.

“That’s bad,” Jason said. Nico frowned. _That_ was the biggest understatement of the century.

Nico could see Percy, Hazel, and Will standing on the other side of the plateau now that Ho-Oh had taken off. They all looked horror-struck. Except for Percy, who looked gravely serious.

Nico locked eye contact with Will. Will made a poor attempt at a grin, but it failed miserably. Nico couldn’t bring himself to do anything right now. They could be dead in minutes.

_‘Only death awaits you atop that mountain,’_ his father’s voice rang through his head again.

_‘Thanks, dad. Real help you are,’_ Nico thought bitterly.

Iris tugged at Nico’s pants leg, startling him. Her hair was a mess and her once perfectly white dress was now speckled with mud and dirt.

“If you can escape, I can hold Ho-Oh here. But I need time. Please, you must escape. Chaos cannot continue to spread any further,” Iris said. Her voice was weak and shaky. If Ho-Oh had gone primal, then as the source of her power, she wasn’t far behind.

Nico nodded, turning to Annabeth. He couldn’t help Iris. Not now, anyway.

“I’m assuming you’ve already got a plan.”

“It’s in the works. It almost exclusively relies on Jason, but if we can pull it off, we’ll be able to make it across the plateau safely.”

“And then?”

Annabeth shook her head. “No idea.”

“Great, let’s do it.”

Annabeth spent a few seconds detailing the plan to Jason as Nico kept an eye on Ho-Oh. Its golden wings had turned black, and a few white-hot streaks had started to burn across its wings. They almost looked like a design. The streaks came together to form a circle at its chest.

So far, the Pokémon had only kept to flying in circles above the plateau. But the second they stepped into the open, the Legendary would surely smite them straight to the Underworld. Nico listened along to what Annabeth was saying. It was too risky, but they didn’t have much choice. Nico adjusted Cubone into his bag for safety.

“Hurry!” Iris muttered.

“Come on,” Annabeth said, grabbing Nico by the shoulder and running across the plateau, with Piper in tow. Nico followed.

As soon as they reached the middle of the clearing, Ho-Oh shrieked. Without any sign of rain, Ho-Oh summoned a super-powered bolt of lightning. Nico flinched as he prepared for the attack, but the lightning arched away from them, striking Jason’s open fist.

The electricity surrounded Jason as it crackled and fizzed, charging Jason up like a lightning rod. The energy seemed to revitalize Jason instantly, giving him his full strength back with extra to spare. Without skipping a beat, Jason released his Manectric and hopped onto its back. The Pokémon roared as the electricity coursed through them both.

Ho-Oh breathed out a fireball that narrowly missed Manectric. The Electric-type skipped to the side and began charging up power, building up all of the excess electricity and concentrating it into a single point in the center of the Pokémon’s open mouth.

The ball of electricity fired in a haphazard yet fine beam of energy aimed at Ho-Oh. The Pokémon faltered as the attack found its mark, but it did minimal damage. Luckily, it wasn’t supposed to be a damaging attack – it was only meant as a distraction.

Jason hoisted each one of them onto Manectric as they reached the center of the plateau before speeding towards the other side.

Ho-Oh snapped its beak as it regained focus, but by then they had already reached the opposite side of the plateau.

Nico, Annabeth, and Piper all climbed off of Manectric.

“You guys go, I’ll keep Ho-Oh busy for a while,” Jason said.

“Wait up for me,” Percy said. He was gripping his hand for some reason.

“Percy,” Hazel warned, her voice full of worry.

“I’m fine. The drizzle from earlier helped,” Percy shot back. There wasn’t any time to discuss whatever argument they were having. Ho-Oh was recovering.

Annabeth stepped forward to look at Percy. She must have deemed him okay, because she turned back to the others. “We’re escaping as fast as we can. Hazel, we need you to stay here as our escape policy if something goes wrong. Keep Rapidash at the ready. We need to keep Ho-Oh’s attention so that Iris has time to trap it here.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. Before Percy could jump on Manectric with Jason, Annabeth stopped him. “Careful out there, Seaweed Brain.”

Nico didn’t wait to see what happened next. He stopped next to Hazel and gave her the briefest of nods, trying to assess if she was alright. Hazel gave him a nod back. “Go, we can handle it.”

“Take care.”

Nico turned to Will. He looked worried and tired and … different. More hardened, like he’d seen some serious stuff. But even now, with Ho-Oh’s overbearing presence, Nico could still feel that pleasant energy coming out of him. It felt so comforting and reassuring.

Nico offered his hand. “Let’s get out of here, sunshine.”

Will looked over at the battle unfolding on the plateau before turning to Nico, nodding. “I thought you’d never ask, Death Boy.”

Despite the situation, Nico smiled slightly as Will took his hand. Nico led them down the rocky cliff, trying to find the small ledge that provided enough shadows for him to travel through. It wasn’t far now –

“Heya!” Leo yelled as he approached them in the distance, with Frank next to him. The two looked like they’d been tossed around in twigs, leaves, and rocks. Like they’d been left out to survive in the wild for a few months. “Sorry we’re late, how’s everything up top?”

“Either get off the mountain or go help,” Nico said simply, running by them. “Hey, Frank.”

“What? What does that even mean?” Leo called out as Nico and Will kept running down the mountain path.

Finally, they arrived at the small secluded spot that had the best amount of shadows.

“Why’re we stopping here, Nico?” Will asked.

“You’ll see. Um – you got everything? Igglybuff?”

“Yeah,” Will said, patting his bag. Igglybuff must have been inside.

Nico nodded, checking to make sure Cubone was still alright. The Pokémon was still tucked safely into his bag. Taking a deep breath, Nico held onto Will’s hand, concentrating on the shadows.

“This might freak you out a bit, but I promise everything is under control,” Nico told Will reassuringly.

Not that it really made sense to him out of context. On the mental count of three, the pair disappeared into the shadows.

 

~

 

It was quiet. A weight that Nico didn’t even realize he was carrying had suddenly lifted off of his entire being. He felt like he could finally breathe once again. The only burden he carried now was the painful prickling in his hands. It burned harder than ever as his adrenaline went down.

Nico opened his eyes. They were at the foot of the mountain, right where they had split into three groups. And despite the area’s deprived bareness, it was infinitely better than anything on that cursed mountain.

And then there was Will. Nico would never get tired of that vibrant, warm energy that he seemed to radiate at all times. He could bask in it all day. Which might have looked really awkward, because all Nico did was stare.

Will laughed nervously. “Hey, uh … you okay? What just happened?”

Nico stared for a couple of seconds before snapping back to reality, an intense blush flaring on his cheeks. “Oh, um – shadow travel. It’s … a long story.”

Will looked like something clicked in his mind, and he started blushing, too. “So that dream I had was an actual thing?”

By now, Nico had a full recollection of that dream. The one they shared for some reason. “Guess there’s no explaining to do now, right?”

As the last of the adrenaline pumped through Nico’s body and out of his system, his nervousness faded, replaced with a sad relief. It was over. Well, at least _this_ part of their journey was over. And there was one thing that Nico wanted most.

Will was one step ahead of him. He embraced Nico in a slow, comforting hug. For a moment, however brief, Nico felt like nothing around him mattered. Not the battle atop the mountain, nor the trouble unfolding across the region. Not even his own exhaustion. Nico lost himself in the embrace.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.”

 

* * *

 

 

Will felt tired. His body ached with a deep soreness that made every movement of his body hurt. He wanted to sit here forever. If the world let him, he probably would. The fireplace crackled with a dying ember that barely illuminated the room. Annabeth had insisted that she could turn on the backup gas power on the thing, but Will liked it as it was right now. It gave the room a soft red glow.

All of their Pokémon were sprawled out in various locations around the room of Chiron’s lab. Igglybuff and Cubone lay closest to the fireplace, passed out over a deck of cards that they had been lazily fooling around with. Murkrow sat perched on the top of the bookshelf to the right, while Hoppip had plopped down at the edge of the couch. Psyduck had disappeared into the corner, and Aron was huddled by their feet. It was the least Will and Nico could do to help them recover from the Othrys mountains. Here, they could actually relax.

Will was still in the dark as to what exactly happened on that mountain. They had regrouped at Chiron’s lab and tended to their wounds, which took eight hours when everything was said and done. The only explanation anyone had offered was that Iris had successfully trapped herself and Ho-Oh at the top of the mountain. There was even a rainbow over the entire mountain range to prove it.

Frankly, Will wasn’t _too_ invested in the aftermath. He was simply too tired to care – he had zero energy for any of it. He _wanted_ to, but he wasn’t much help.

Nico sat comfortably pressed against him, snoring lightly. He was a heavy sleeper by nature on a normal night, but tonight he had dropped like a stone. And to Will’s surprise, he was still wearing the green jacket that Will had given him before they left. He had taken it off for a “quick wash” as they were getting settled in and then had put it back on.

Will turned a bright red when Nico caught him staring earlier.

Will watched the last of the flame die out. Now only the smoldering pieces of wood was glowing. A door behind him opened slowly.

Hazel walked in, silently making her way to the armchair opposite of the couch. She sat down with a quiet sigh as she took off the hairband that was holding her hair up.

“Jason and Percy are okay,” she whispered.

Will gave her a wary look. “I didn’t even know something was up with them.”

“They really hurt themselves during the battle the same way Percy was hurt from using his power,” Hazel looked grim. “We still don’t know what happened. It’s not happening anymore, though.”

Nico stirred on Will’s chest, turning slightly. Will blushed, acutely aware that Hazel was watching, however dark it was.

“I can’t believe how different he is,” Hazel shook her head lightly, “from when I last saw him. Before Arbor Town, I mean.”

Will hummed a response, still feeling his face embarrassingly red.

“I’m glad,” Hazel continued. “I’ve never seen him so happy.”

Will blushed harder, but grinned despite himself. Behind them, the door opened again. This time, Annabeth and Jason came in. They were less careful about the noise they were making until they saw Nico asleep.

“Knocked out,” Jason whispered, leaning against the bookcase. His arms were heavily bandaged, though he had full mobility of them, and Will had half the mind to wonder why they hadn’t called him in.

Annabeth stood at the edge of the couch. “This can wait, if you like – ”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Will whispered quickly. “What’s uh – what’s up?”

“Well, we just wanted to catch you guys up on what happened,” Annabeth took a seat on the armrest. “Assuming Nico hasn’t already told you?”

“No, not really,” Will said. “We’ve just been trying to relax.”

Annabeth nodded. “As you should be.”

“What’s up?” Will asked.

“Well, everyone had their own adventure. I think we should get everyone on the same page,” Annabeth sighed. “Percy knocked out the second we patched him up, and you need to know all the other things that happened.”

Will noticed that Nico was awake now, though he hadn’t moved much at all. That was fine for him. He wasn’t about to blow his boyfriend’s cover.

“Uh, sure,” Will said. “Fire away.”

“Well, I’ve been thinking about what happened to Ho-Oh – you know, the way that it turned violent,” Annabeth said. “In layman’s terms, Ho-Oh was corrupted.”

“Like the Pokémon that Gaea has been using,” Will guessed. They both gave off that general feeling.

“Yes, exactly like that,” Annabeth nodded.

That was … a weird thought. Will was no expert on the matter, but somehow, he felt like Legendaries wouldn’t be affected like that. They were _Legendaries_. Pokémon with such great power they were always thought to be myths. Surely a _god_ couldn’t be corrupted like a normal Pokémon.

“That can’t be possible,” Hazel said, echoing Will’s thoughts. “Or at least it’s too difficult. There needs to be a lot of chaos involved.”

Jason shifted in his spot. “It’s not impossible per say. I encountered those kinds of Pokémon during our assault on Othrys a couple years back. Personal favorites of Krios. There must have been ways of creating chaos even back then.”

“I don’t know about that, but there were cages in this castle thing when we were climbing the mountain,” Will said. “The guy who owned the place kept a lot of Pokémon locked up.”

“Kronos had an off-site temple, separate from the main one,” Hazel explained.

“Hm,” Annabeth mused. Everyone waited for her to finish thinking. “Well, this is just a theory, but Kronos could have kept Pokémon in an isolated area to drain their energy as he built up his power. Do that for long enough, and I’m sure you can drive basic animalistic instincts out of any Pokémon. Chaos festers in that kind of behavior.”

“Again, that takes too long,” Hazel said. “Ho-Oh turned in an instant. There’s too much chaos involved, and one doesn’t exactly have access to it from Tartarus.”

Jason looked uncomfortable. “Well, I guess the most important thing is that we found things escaping the pits of Tartarus – it’s supposed to be this inescapable prison for monsters and such,” Jason clarified as Will gave him a look. “By the way, Nico and I ended up in the Underworld.”

“That’s concerning for a few reasons,” Annabeth said, before Hazel could say anything, “But the thing that matters now is that the inescapable prison is allowing things to escape. Obviously.”

“Well, uh,” Hazel huffed, “that’s – how?”

Annabeth shook her head, deeply concerned. “It’s impossible to say right now. But I think the question we can answer is for how long it’s been open. I’ll spare you the details, but I think Gaea has limited control over how many exits out of Tartarus she can make at once. It’s safe to assume that she expended most of the chaos she’s collected in this attack. Maybe she was hoping that a Legendary would help her collect chaos faster, but Iris put a stop to that.”

“Because she trapped Ho-Oh,” Hazel guessed.

Annabeth and Jason nodded.

Will sighed. All this talk about chaos was confusing. They acted like it was a physical thing, not a concept or behavior or something. He shifted slightly, feeling like he had a little more freedom now that Nico wasn’t actually asleep.

At the very least, he could take comfort in the fact that Gaea wasn’t _too_ ahead of them. Well, she could attack Legendaries, so there wasn’t a lot of comfort to lean on. But Annabeth was confident she wouldn’t be able to do it again anytime soon, and that was good enough for him.

“What happened at the altar?” Will asked. “It was hard to get what was going on from our end. And Ho-Oh blocked our view.”

“Oh,” Annabeth sunk in her spot, defeated. “Iris … didn’t have anything for us. We … I was wrong.”

That didn’t do much to raise his spirits.

“But what about the prophecy?” Will asked, refusing to accept her answer. “I thought prophecies were things that had to happen. If that wasn’t it, then what is?”

“I’m not sure …” Annabeth admitted before falling silent. She seemed to be thinking hard.

Will turned to Hazel. “Maybe it’s not something obvious, you know?”

“Oh gods,” Annabeth muttered suddenly, her expression grim. “We were the innocent.”

Everyone stared at her.

“What?” Jason said, dumbfounded.

Annabeth looked around the room, as if the answer was obvious. “We were the innocent,” she repeated, a little loudly. “The prophecy says, ‘shall overcome the innocent’s deceit’. We … _us,_ all seven of us, are the innocent.”

Still everyone stared at her. Admittedly, she wasn’t making much sense.

Frustrated, Annabeth stood up from the couch and walked away from them.

“‘The sky and ground, destined to meet, shall overcome the innocent’s deceit’,” Annabeth recited. “You – Will – you’re a son of Apollo. Apollo is the god of the sun under Latios’ patronage. Nico – he’s a son of Hades. He’s the god of the Underworld and mostly everything beneath the earth under Groudon’s patronage. You’re – you’re…!”

Annabeth slammed her fist against the wall, knocking over some vinyl records hanging above, which promptly smashed into pieces. She didn’t care.

Will could feel Nico turn his head slightly, and he could only assume that he was trying to see what was happening. He was surprised none of their Pokémon had woken up.

“All of this could have been avoided. Everything. If we had only been – if _I_ had been more trusting …” Annabeth said, her voice between anger and frustration. “The innocent’s deceit. We deceived you into thinking we had the right answer. That what we were doing was right. We let our experience do the talking, when you two have had the most experience with Gaea out of all of us.”

“You couldn’t have known,” Will said lightly. “I mean, what happened over the last few days created that realization. It’s kinda paradoxical, right?”

“Prophecies are always ambiguous. They can mean several things,” Hazel said quietly, her expression sullen.

“That part of it could have been fulfilled two ways. You and Nico – the sky and ground – met. Had you ignored us and continued on your own, then you would have overcome our deceit,” Annabeth said. “I suppose when Ho-Oh landed, the sky literally met with the ground. What happened from there led to this moment. Tomorrow, we’ll split ways and we will have met the same outcome. Either way, that part of the prophecy came true.”

“No,” Will said, unsure of where he was coming from. He paused as he tried to collect his thoughts. “I mean, maybe that’s true. But a lot happened these last few days, and we’re better for it, right?”

Annabeth held her breath for a few seconds as she contemplated the thought. Finally, she let out a sigh. “Perhaps. I’m sorry. This is your prophecy. I’m sorry it took all this time for me to realize it.”

Will shook his head. “You couldn’t have known. Really, it’s … I don’t blame you.”

“It’s fine” wasn’t the right thing to say right now. It was a silly thing to say after what had happened today. But she couldn’t blame herself like that.

“I won’t allow our experience to deceive you into taking the wrong road again. I swear it on the River Styx,” Annabeth said seriously.

Jason and Hazel exchanged looks but said nothing. Will didn’t know why taking a river-oath warranted such grim expressions.

“Um, thank you. I think,” Will said awkwardly.

A long silence followed. No one said anything. They simply wallowed in their own misery.

“You should get some rest,” Jason said after a while. “It’s pretty late.”

Will nodded. “Yeah. I think I’ll stay here. Because, uh, you know.”

Jason nodded and beckoned everyone out of the room. Annabeth followed without much to say except a good night and another apology. She looked like she had taken a punch to the gut. Hazel gave him a reassuring smile before leaving, too.

Will listened as the trio began talking outside, though the voices were muffled. He expected them to have a more thorough break down with Hazel or something. They hadn’t covered much on their part of the story just now, after all, but Will suspected Annabeth was too out of it to realize that just yet.

“You awake?” Will whispered.

“Yeah. Couldn’t you tell?” Nico replied.

“Let’s change that,” Will sighed, slumping down into a more comfortable position. He was so tired.

If Nico wanted to talk about the prophecy or anything, he didn’t mention it. In fact, he was fast asleep within minutes. That was fine. They had all of tomorrow to talk about it.

Will drifted off to sleep soon after. It was kinda hard not to after three days. And admittedly, Nico was a good pillow to hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew. Sorry for the wait! I realized that I took a break before this arc could finish. Oops!
> 
> Thanks for reading,
> 
> Cheers!


	24. Back to Normal

“Leave me,” Gaea said, her cloaked figure lurking in the darkness of the room. The grunt in front of her nodded shakily, exiting the room as quickly as possible.

She had suffered a victory that ended with a loss, and she was furious. Unquestionably, it was unlike her to be this careless. Because of it, she had one less option at her disposal. But there were still other choices at her disposal that she could undoubtedly use to secure a victory.

Gaea procured the golden feather from within her cloak. It radiated hope. Happiness. A desire to bring good to the world. Everything she detested. All concepts meant to bring fools under one idea: a better world to live in. And for what? One power usurps the other, and the former becomes the latter.

There was no “better world”. No “happiness” or “good”. Not even “evil” or “wrong”, for that matter.

But this item was important nonetheless. Not for the ideas from which it drew power from, but for its invaluable use in her operations.

The feather’s power radiated through her body as she brought it close to her chest. She could not absorb its power. Not yet. For now, she would keep it close to her as a means to draw strength. The fuel to the hearth that kept this temporary body functioning. She had half the mind to destroy it so that she could rid the world of the feather's owner. It had no functional purpose while it was trapped, and it would require too much energy to dispose of the rainbow goddess' seal. But that would be detrimental to her plan, so she instead held onto it.

Gaea drew a breath. Oh, how she ached. The poison inside of her stung with an acute sharpness, as if shrapnel coursed through her. It only motivated her to continue through with the plan. Things were already in motion. She simply needed to stop them in the correct place. That was vitally important.

The door opened.

“U-um, my lady …” a quivering voice said behind her,

Gaea turned, staring at the diminutive mortal at the doorway. It cowered before her, looking away in fear.

“Speak,” Gaea said.

“The – the Spiritomb have been collected.”

Gaea created a wall of dirt from beneath the stone floor, blocking the doorway and the grunt. She did not want to waste her time on the mortal any further.

They were not difficult to sway when a part of Gaea awoke. After centuries of unwilling observation of the world that had developed on her, she thought it best to gain a presence through the mortals. To play the game that she loathed. That of seeking out those who wanted to shape a better world. She promised them riches and power, a world in which they would rule. Their simple minds and menial greed were easy to manipulate.

The Olympians _made_ it easy. Though they attempted to assimilate into the world they had claimed as their own, they took positions of power still. Their method changed from grand splendor in the face of their worshippers to subtle governance. But in the process of avoiding enemies from challenging them, they made different ones: those displaced by their new society.

It was only until she had recovered a fraction of her strength did she instill fear among her followers, which had taken up the name of “Team Terras” and had adopted an insignia and uniform. The fools. But they were complacent out of either fear or ambition, and that would suffice.

Gaea turned her attention to the Spiritomb that the grunt spoke of. An unexpected but welcome addition to her growing number of pawns. The last remnant of one of her many children.

A single tear ran down her cheek. She loved her children with an undying will that only a mother could understand. A maternal love that caused so much of her suffering and grief. A love that continues to destroy her.

‹I seek to undo the first mistake,› Gaea whispered in the primordial tongue of old as a stream of pained tears fell down her cheeks, ‹So that the world will endure this torture no longer.›

Power. A concept meant to coerce a fool into action. Action was what destroyed her every time. The thing that continually added to her sadness.

Lost in her own emotions, Gaea did not sense the presence of an Olympian spawn in the room, nor did she feel it disappear as he left.

  

* * *

 

 

_Nico’s dreams were full of angered Onyx, enormous Golurks, and a corrupted Ho-Oh. He saw everyone being overwhelmed by droves of Pokémon that were out for their blood. It was a mix between Pokemon clashing and god-like powers. But he found it hard to see everyone. They were lost in a hoard of monsters. All he heard was yelling. Commands, mostly, but they were pained and tired, on the brink of giving out. He heard Jason's voice at first, but they were unintelligible. Hazel coughed a reply before Percy yelled in pain. An Onyx roared in frustration._

_Nico wanted to help, but he couldn't. He was a powerless observer as Gaea stood beside him. Her sod-covered cloak dragged along the floor. She looked as sickly as she had been in Arbor Town. Her face was covered by her hood, but Nico could tell that she was smiling._

_“This is the result of your meaningless attempts,” she said mockingly, though her voice lacked its powerful boom. “You are nothing but a nuisance to me. Look at how easy it is for me to squash you.”_

_Lightning crashed against the Onyx. Ho-Oh blasted out searing hot flames. Torrents of water missed their mark. But Nico couldn’t bring himself to see what the attacks were doing anymore. He tried his best to avert his eyes, only to see Helorus in flames. The Daycare, which was abnormally close to the city limits, was smoldering._

_"You only live because I have allowed it," Gaea said with spite._

_The worst part? Nico knew it was just a dream. But he couldn’t wake up. He was forced to watch the same thing happen again and again until he felt so drained that he was numb to it all._

_A thick smoke surrounded him suddenly. When it parted, he saw limp bodies on the floor. The bodies of everyone he knew._

~

 

Nico awoke with tears in his eyes and a dry throat. He couldn’t breathe, suffocated by his own misery.

It took him a few seconds to realize where he was. In the lounge of Chiron’s lab. Will had a firm grip on him, snoring lightly.

Nico took a few breaths, trying to calm himself down. His eyes felt strained from crying in his sleep. When he finally felt somewhat better, he slowly got off the couch, replacing himself with a pillow in Will’s arms.

Their Pokémon were spread out in the room, all sound asleep. It was too early in the morning for sunlight to start creeping through the windows. The morning was foggy and dull in the low light. It looked like it was snowing outside.

Nico rubbed his eyes, heading to the bathroom. Wherever that was.

As he wandered through the lab, he couldn’t help but think back on the dreams he kept having. The mental images were painful to remember. But there was also … something else. Before that big nightmare.

In a second, the first dream came back to him. Gaea. She had been crying and holding something close to her.

Nico frowned. It was wrong to think that someone so evil would mourn for anything.

He stumbled into the bathroom eventually. He splashed water on his face as he leaned over the faucet before looking into the mirror. He had big bags under his eyes as if he hadn’t slept at all. His hair was more of a mess than usual. Nico splashed more water on his face, hoping to get rid of that crazed look. He brushed his hair back down to its usual position. But no amount of water could get rid of the amount of numbness he felt.

It was strange. He felt … disconnected, somehow. Like some part of him was still on that mountain, fighting a fight that Nico didn’t even know about. Like what was happening now wasn’t real.

Nico sighed, rubbing his eyes.

 _‘Keep it together,’_ he scolded himself, before leaving the bathroom and making his way back to the lounge room. Wherever that was.

 

~

 

“I think I’ve got something,” Will said from across the table. He pointed at a page of one of the many books strewn across the table. “It’s called hypokinesis.”

Nico closed his own book and leaned over to Will. “Sleep moving or something?”

“I think so,” Will said. “Ah, nope. Dream travel. It says here … well, basically it says that the person doing it can move through other people’s dreams and stuff. So astral projection. Some people are more prone to it than others.”

“Gaea wasn’t really asleep, though,” Nico sighed. “That can’t be it.”

The morning had gone without incident. It was hard for Nico to shake off the dreams from last night, but he had to. How could he be useful like that? And besides, it wasn’t anything Nico couldn’t handle.

He _did_ tell Will about the dream with Gaea, though. That seemed important enough, and he needed to know how Gaea was always appearing in his sleep. This was the second one in a row, and he would prefer it if he didn’t accidentally raise spikes from the ground unconsciously. He was lucky it didn't happen tonight.

Will paused, thinking. “Didn’t Hazel mention how she hasn’t woken up or something? Maybe that hooded figure is sleepwalking or something. Just a thought.”

“I guess,” Nico said. He huffed, laying down on the table. “Why can’t we catch a break? I can’t even get one night’s rest.”

That was an understatement.

Will chuckled, leaning over so that he was only a few inches away from Nico’s face. His blue eyes glistened mischievously. “It’s what you get for being destiny’s chosen one.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “As if you weren’t in the same boat.”

Nico was expecting a kiss. It would have been nice after such a restless night, anyway. That was a reasonable thing to expect out of a situation like this. He wasn’t, however, expecting Will to blow a raspberry on his cheek before pulling away.

“You’re a _pest_ ,” Nico grimaced as Will burst into a silent fit of laughter.

“Oh, come on,” Will said happily, “I’m just teasing you.”

Will leaned back in and gave Nico an upside-down kiss in earnest. It was long and drawn-out, but Nico wasn’t complaining. It was already lifting his spirits somewhat.

A door closed somewhere outside the room. They quickly pulled away and tried to act normal, which Will sucked at. Luckily, no one came into the room. 

Nico sighed. “We could be on our sixth badge by now. Coming up to getting the seventh.”

But at this point, Nico couldn’t imagine himself in that situation. It just felt … wrong.

“That would be nice,” Will said in a distant voice. Will closed a book with a slam, making Nico jump. Will winced. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Nico muttered, looking down at the ground. They hadn’t really discussed it, but it was clear that the experience on the mountain and the Underworld had really messed with Nico’s reactions. Not Will for some reason, despite what _he_ went through, too.

Nico closed two books at once as he started clearing out the table. They had gotten the answer to his weird dream. They were done here.

“Where are we even supposed to go now?” Nico asked, trying to lighten the mood even if he himself wasn't feeling great. “What’s the next line of the prophecy?”

Will hummed as he tried to remember. “Hm. I wrote it down here somewhere. Ah, there it is,” Will picked up a sticky note. “From the top: the sky and ground, destined to meet, shall overcome the innocent’s deceit – that happened, so check that off – then procure the flower which still weeps, to mend the heart of the one who sleeps. When the sun comes crashing down, a choice will be made, world-renown. As chaos seeps back into place, the pain of the past will serve as its base.”

Will put the sticky note back down. “So, procuring flowers.”

“Oh good, flower picking. That’s a nice change of pace,” Nico muttered. He wasn’t being sarcastic. It _was_ a nice change of pace. No curses or primordial chaos to mess with them. More importantly, no death.

“Unless it’s a demon flower or something,” Will replied.

Nico snorted. “Don’t even think it.”

The door behind them opened quickly, revealing a very disheveled Hazel.

“Do as he says and don’t make any quippy comments,” Hazel said quickly, glancing behind her. “And I’m sorry!”

“What?” Nico and Will said in unison.

A man in an oddly colored Hawaiian shirt and a can of soda walked into the room. Nico could only describe him as … an alcoholic, by the looks of it. His sullen blood-shot eyes and posture told him as much.  But his demeanor was oddly sober. He had a haughty, disinterested air about him. A Spinda entered behind him.

His life force was confusing for Nico. It was like standing in a river with currents that didn’t know what direction to go. Aimless and loose.

Who was this supposed to be?

The man gave Nico a disapproving look as he laid eyes on him. Nico already didn’t like this guy or his can of Diet Coke.

“So this is where heroes are on the quality scale these days,” the man said off-handedly, taking a drink from his soda. “How sad.”

Hazel gave Nico a cautious, pleading stare. Nico kept quiet.

“Um, hello,” Will offered, trying his best to keep a friendly smile. “I’m Will. And you are?”

“No education, either,” the man said with a sour face. “I am Dionysus.”

 _‘Olympian,’_ Hazel mouthed from behind Dionysus, out of his field of vision.

“That’s not a Legendary,” Nico thought aloud, looking at the Spinda. Hazel winced at Nico’s mistake.

Dionysus’ eyes flared with a purple glow, matched by his mellow aura’s sudden change into one of drunken anger.

“I will excuse your comment just once,” Dionysus said, slowly, “as you learn to _expand your knowledge_. I’m starting to wonder why I’m even bothering with you. Leave us, Haley.”

Hazel gave Nico a pleading look as she left the room. Why had this guy called her “Haley”, though?

“It has come to my attention that both of you are involved with the current issue Olympia is facing, correct?” Dionysus stared between the two without moving much. He was too serious for his ridiculous appearance.

“Yes,” Nico said simply. He couldn’t trust himself to say anything more. He _really_ did not like this guy, Olympian or not.

Dionysus gave him the slightest of nods. “Then for all of our sakes, I hope that you are more competent than you seem. Surprise me as much as the last bunch, will you?” Dionysus looked at Will. “Good day, Wilbert.”

He took a large swig of his Diet Coke before walking out of the room, leaving the door open. The Spinda that accompanied him followed, though Nico had the distinct impression that the Pokémon wasn’t following his orders. More like … a mutual agreement.

Outside, Dionysus started to talk to someone. Probably Hazel. “I am here to inform you bunch that your presence is requested on Mount Olympus immediately. Word of Iris’ condition has already spread. As insulting as it is to my position, I think this visit was well worth it. Farewell, Annie Belle. Haley.”

There was a poof-like sound, and a strong grape scent drifted into the room.

Nico exchanged looks with Will. He felt irritated. The blunt insults weren't sitting well with him.

“… What a scumbag,” Nico muttered.

“He’s … something,” Will replied. He wasn’t that impressed, either.

Hazel popped her head in. “What happened? What did he say?”

“Basically glared and insulted us. Kind of a jerk, isn’t he?” Will replied.

Hazel looked perplexed. She looked back outside before entering the room again as if trying to keep out of Dionysus’ earshot, even though he wasn’t here anymore.

“That’s weird. Dionysus doesn’t like heroes. I thought for sure he would ask you a favor or give you a quest or something,” Hazel stuffed her hands in her pockets. “In any case, he’s not one to approach anyone for no reason.”

“Maybe he’s turned a new leaf,” Will said dryly. “Likes to insult people personally now.”

Hazel wasn’t convinced, if her expression was anything to go by.

“We … have to leave for a bit,” Hazel said slowly, looking at Nico. “League business ... I wish I could stay –“

“We’ll be fine, Hazel,” Nico said. “We’ll just work on the next lead.”

Hazel smiled, giving Nico a hug. “Let’s talk later, though. I think we need to.”

Nico patted Hazel on the back, feeling a newfound sense of tiredness fall on his shoulders. Would they ever catch a break? It had barely been a few hours and Hazel and the others were already on the road _again_.

“Take care.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Hey,” Will frowned. “Everything okay?”

“What?” Nico jerked his head up. “Oh, yeah. Just … yeah.”

Will hummed but kept his eyes on Nico as he took a drink from his orange juice. Nico was being fidgety. Not that Will could blame him. Will had been through hell, but Nico had been through _hell_. Literally.

“It’s just that … it’s hard to come back to this,” Nico added thoughtfully, gesturing towards Helorus’ main plaza.

The locals that Will had known his whole life went about their business, as usual, socializing and running errands in the middle of the winter day. Snow had finally broken overnight, covering the place with a decently thick white sheet. Thanks to the worker Pokémon, though, a majority of the roads were clear. Some of them were still at it, though.

The biggest thing going on today was the holiday set-up in the town center. Three Machamps worked together to hang lights and decorate the giant tree in the middle of the display. People hummed Christmas tunes. Children ran through the snow, building snow Pikachus and Happinys.

“Everything’s normal,” Will said.

Nico nodded. “Yeah.”

Will kinda knew where he was coming from. But at the same time, Will felt like he himself had bounced back quickly from the events on Othrys. Maybe it was something to do with his godly heritage and the healing thing, but Will felt fine. No stress or anything.

Clearly, Nico hadn’t been as fortunate.

He rubbed his arms constantly, like a nervous tick that wasn’t there before. He stared at people a little too long, as if he was seeing something that wasn’t actually there. Little things that Nico probably didn’t even know he was doing.

But Will noticed. Almost immediately, too, after they arrived in Helorus from Chiron’s lab.

It was strange. What side effects came with a blessing from the Lord of the Underworld? So far, Will couldn’t shake the impulse to constantly tap his foot to a beat and had a disturbing desire to write haikus. Nico’s powers entailed edgy stuff like traveling through shadows, so there had to be different things weighing him down.

Will sighed internally, glancing over at Nico one more time before putting an arm around Nico’s shoulder.

 _‘I’ve got you,’_ he thought.

They sat watching the plaza for another half hour. The cold nipped at Will’s ears and cheeks, making them feel numb. But after seventeen years, he was used to it in this part of the year.

Despite Nico’s usual ability to wolf down food, he had hardly touched his muffin. That fact didn’t go unnoticed by Will.

A flock of Pidoves started to gather around them, trying to see what they could pick off.

“Let’s go somewhere else,” Will suggested. “Before those vultures decide to jump us.”

Nico nodded. As Will got up and zipped up his sweater, he caught a glimpse of Nico tossing pieces of his uneaten muffin to the Pokémon. They started jumping and cooing excitedly, hopping around the morsels.

“You shouldn’t do that, you know,” Will chided.

Nico shrugged. “What’s wrong with it?”

Will sighed. “Don’t even get me started on why you shouldn’t feed wild Pokémon.”

Before Will could go on, Nico interlocked arms with him before starting to walk. Will smiled despite himself.

 

* * *

 

 

Nico breathed out a sigh of relief as they left the city limits.

 _‘Gods, people are so … loud,’_ Nico thought, rubbing his temples.

Maybe it was because his powers had manifested in secluded places, but the sheer amount of living energy coming from the town was killing him. A couple of people at the summit of a mountain were fine. Dead people’s life forces were mellow and drowned out. An angered god’s life force was blinding and harsh.

But a couple hundred living people all at once? It was like being in a concert hall where every person was having their own conversation, all talking over one another all at once. It was giving Nico a headache, which wasn’t helping his mood at all.

The snow was a little deeper outside the town, making the route hard to make out. The forest had taken on such a pristine white, the snow was slightly annoying to look at. A variety of Pokémon tracks zig-zagged across the snow, but overall the forest was generally silent. The usual Kricketot chatter was gone, at any rate.

It gave the route a surreal look, like something out of a dreamy wonderland.

Cubone ran ahead as they approached a patch of tall grass, looking anxious.

“You should train a bit,” Will suggested with a hopeful smile. Igglybuff gave a reassuring cheer. “It’s been forever. Could help you take your mind off things.”

It had been a week or so. Maybe more. At this point, Nico had lost count of the days as they passed. It seemed like a lifetime ago that they were training out in Arbor Town. But still, the idea was nice. It was something that Nico really enjoyed.

“Sure, but it’s not like the Pokémon here are high leveled,” Nico said. “Beating up Pokémon isn’t exactly training.”

“You have Aron,” Will suggested.

Nico glanced at the PokéBall on his belt. He hadn’t given Aron the chance to battle at all since the Pokémon hatched. Now would be a good time.

But Cubone…

The Pokémon didn’t look particularly offended at the idea. In fact, it seemed like the Pokémon just wanted some battles to happen. That was fine by Nico.

“Alright, sure,” Nico said. “But you can’t be on the sidelines this time.”

“Heh, it wasn’t like I was gonna have a good time watching you in _this_ cold.” Will paused before adding teasingly, “I mean, not that you’re not a dreamboat or anything –”

Nico stopped him with a kiss. “Gods, Solace, you keep those up your sleeve, don’t you?”

Will gave a small laugh. “Yeah. But again with the last names?”

Nico shrugged, unhooking Aron’s PokeBall. “I’ve changed my mind. The witty joke made me do it.”

“You love my witty jokes though.”

Aron appeared in a flash of red light, jumping ecstatically after being away for so long. The Pokémon almost immediately headbutted Cubone, but Cubone easily stopped the play attack by holding Aron back. It was a very happy Pokémon. Not very reserved, or one to hold back.

Nico stared at the Pokémon for a bit, not noticing that the silence was getting awkward.

“Uh, Nico? You kinda have to find a Pokémon to battle,” Will whispered, looking him over with a bit of concern.

Right. That.

Nico walked into tall grass that managed to escape the snow. It was still pretty dense, but slightly easier to see through now. But he didn’t need to be able to see through it – he could feel a Pokémon lurking a little to his right.

He slowly made his way over to the concealed Pokémon, his shoes sinking into the snow as it grew deeper.

The wild Pokémon jumped out in an attempt at a surprise attack. It was a snow-covered Sentret. Nico’s Battle monitor whirred to life slowly. Truthfully, Nico doubted that it would still work. The thing was slightly buggy and definitely rough around the edges after all that had happened. There were dead pixels on the screen and the speaker was a little beat up. It displayed the usual stats.

Gods, it had been a while.

“Uh, okay, Aron,” Nico looked at his Monitor. The Pokémon didn’t have a lot of moves to choose from. “Go for a Tackle, I guess.”

Aron didn’t need to be told twice. The Pokémon launched forward and attacked the Sentret head-on. The wild Pokémon dodged the attack and aimed a few swipes at Aron’s exposed back. It didn’t do much of anything. Aron probably didn’t feel the attack as it turned back around and bashed the Sentret in the face.

The wild Pokémon’s health dropped a few hit points. The battle went on for a while, with Aron throwing careless Tackles at the Sentret. But Nico couldn’t really focus on what was happening. His mind kept wandering, unable to sit down and actually stay in the moment.

As Aron tackled the Sentret, Nico was reminded of the way the Underworld Onyx crashed into the ground with its immense weight. The danger it brought and how they almost didn’t make it out of there.

Nico shook himself out of it as the Sentret fainted. Aron jumped into the grass and found another Pokémon. It was a Fletchling this time.

“You’re gonna want to discipline Aron on keeping its distance,” Will said. “This matchup isn’t great if that Fletchling knows any Fire-type moves.”

“Yeah,” Nico said. “Got it.”

He stared at his Battle Monitor in his left arm. The bird Pokémon knew Ember, so Aron would need to be careful thanks to its type disadvantage and its poor defense against non-physical moves. Nico knew this, but said nothing as Aron rushed the Fletchling.

The Fletchling didn’t appreciate the sudden attack. It fluttered away before returning with a few Peck attacks. Its swift strikes did little to Aron’s iron head. Again, the Steel-type attacked with a headbutt.

This time, the Fletchling fluttered to the side and shot a volley of Embers. The small projectiles, however weak, bore a resemblance to Ho-Oh’s attacks for some illogical reason. Not only on top of the mountain, but in Nico’s dream as well. And even though these Fletchling’s minuscule attacks wouldn’t raze the world, Nico knew that Ho-Oh’s could.

This … felt meaningless. Pointless. This training session didn’t excite him or relax him. It only made him feel worse.  But he loved training and battling. Even if this wasn’t the highest level of training, it should still excite him. But … it wasn’t doing anything for him. There wasn’t any charm. No appeal.

The realization hit Nico a little harder than it should have.

 _‘I … can’t even enjoy battling anymore,’_ Nico thought.

“Nico?” Will asked, somewhere to his right. “You okay?”

Nico didn’t answer, starting to lose himself in his own thoughts. Maybe he was being unreasonable, but an increasing amount of panic was rising up inside of him. How could he _not_ enjoy battling? It was the one thing he liked to do, even when it was menial grinding, like when he and Cubone were stuck at home.

Something so dear and close to him wasn’t there anymore. It had been replaced by a constant sick feeling that reminded him of what Gaea could do. How easy it was for them to fail.

For the first time since Arbor Town, Nico wanted to run. The shadows were already pulling on his feet, heeding his desire. He almost did, if it wasn’t for Will’s hand on his shoulder.

“Hey. Where are you?” Will said softly. “Come back. It’s okay.”

His eyes were full of concern.

“Sorry. It’s just …” Nico sighed. “I’m feeling a little messed up right now.”

Will didn’t immediately say anything. He looked at Nico sadly and grabbed his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

Nico looked down at the ground. He didn’t know why he was feeling this way, but it was dragging him down. But how could he talk about this if he didn’t know how? Regardless, he needed to let Will know.

“I – I feel out of place,” Nico admitted, taking a special interest in a patch of snow. “Like I don’t belong I guess? Everything’s too normal. I mean, it’s so different. We could have died yesterday, and now we’re supposed to go back to being normal?”

Nico sighed, turning his back on Will. He felt too vulnerable right now.

“I can’t stop thinking about how easily things could have turned out wrong. How they could _still_ happen. It’s messing with me. I can’t even get into training anymore.”

 “Nico …” Will whispered, but didn’t offer any words of wisdom. His mouth opened and then closed it a few times as he tried to come up with something to say.

Beside them, Aron knocked the Fletchling out, but just barely. Its health was really low, and it looked beat up, but the Pokémon somehow kept its jovial demeanor. The marks on its iron armor where the flames had made contact were still smoking.

The Steel-type jumped towards Igglybuff and Cubone in celebration, skittering through the snow and slamming against a tree. It struggled to get up, but Cubone helped. Igglybuff gave a few cheers as it patted the Pokémon on its side before using Heal Pulse to help it recover.

“You know, it’s … it’s okay to, um,” Will huffed, falling short on his words. “I’m scared too. These last three days were really hard. There’s nothing wrong with feeling what you’re feeling.”

Will’s expression was sad but reassuring.

“Let’s take a breath, okay? Just breathe. We’re safe here.”

Nico didn’t know he had stopped breathing. He slowly let himself unwind in a moment of silence. His mind felt like it was still whirring at first, but after a minute he began to slow down. Their Pokémon seemed to keep themselves busy, because they didn’t make any noise or interrupt. Five minutes passed, but Will didn't seem to care. He stood by Nico's side the whole time, not getting tired or impatient. Eventually, when the panic inside him left, Nico let out a sigh.

“Thanks,” Nico whispered.

Will hummed softly.

“I … want to train Aron some more,” Nico said, looking at their Pokémon, feeling a little better.

“You sure?” Will asked.

Nico nodded. He wasn’t exactly feeling better, but he felt more in control now. Like the fact that he didn’t have to hide this from Will was a huge weight off his shoulders.

It started to snow. The day was cloudy and glum, and in the distance, Nico could still feel the town’s obnoxious noise that gave him a headache. The world carried on as if nothing was happening. And even though something _was_ happening, it wasn’t happening here. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really want to explore Gaea's character past the standard villain trope. She's really fun to write for me, too.
> 
> There's no new chapter next week, I've got some Day of the Dead stuff coming up that'll take up most of my time ^^" It's been a real busy month.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> Cheers!


	25. Repose

The midnight frost made Nico shiver. His skin felt cold where his aviator jacket left him exposed. The jacket felt unusually worn out and old today. The fluffy down inside the jacket was thin and matted, and the stitching around the cuffs was loose. The leather was showing more signs of wear and was generally flimsier and thinner than he remembered it. But despite all of that, it provided a strange comfort that put Nico somewhat at ease.

The porch outside the Daycare was lonely in the middle of the night. The silence was nice to sit in for a change. Sleeping life forces were quieter than when they were awake. Nico discovered that when he stepped outside into the cold night alone. It was like sitting in a jacuzzi after getting slammed by the water in the deep end of a wave pool.

Nico sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Will was asleep now, so when Nico couldn’t bring himself to fall asleep, he came out here. It wasn’t _too_ cold. The giant phosphorescent lights hanging above the porch were intense and gave off a lot of heat. It made sitting out here bearable, at least.

Nico flinched as a sudden burst of pain ran through his right arm. The dull pain had gotten worse now, and he had started feeling these sudden jabs only an hour ago. Nico had no idea why.

The pain, according to Jason, was only the result of the blessing being too strong for his physical body. It was only supposed to happen when he overused the blessing’s power. But what did it mean when the pain was constant?

What happened when a blessing’s power overwhelmed the body completely?

It was the most recent of many thoughts to plague his mind throughout the night. In the old days, when Nico was younger, nights like this one were just intense sessions of self-doubt and hopelessness. They were the worst part of Nico’s childhood. His thoughts were the worst company.

But he also didn’t want to go to sleep. He couldn’t deal with those dreams again. Not tonight.

Nico knew there was somebody he could talk to. But that person was asleep. It wasn’t fair for Will to lose the sleep just because Nico was losing it. In a way, Nico was alone again.

Nico stood up, taking a deep breath. The route was almost entirely dark, but Nico didn’t have any trouble seeing. In fact, it even felt welcoming. Almost as if he had slipped into the shadows. Not wanting to mope around on the porch all night, Nico started walking down the route on his own. The snow crunched beneath his feet loudly.

His thoughts wandered as he walked down the route. They jumped from the pain in his arms to replaying the events on Mount Othrys.

Nico sighed. _‘Where are you, Hazel?’_

His sister hadn’t come back yet. Nobody had. Nico was convinced that they would be back by the end of the day – under the impression that they would simply recount what happened and be back in time to catch some sleep. But when night came, and nobody came back, Nico started to worry.

Were they … being punished? Had they encountered something on their way to the League? Was there an emergency _at_ the League?

With nothing to go on, it was all up to interpretation. Part of Nico reasoned that if something had happened at the League, it would be breaking news on everything with communication functions. But the TV channels, radio stations, and news program on the Battle Monitor were all silent.

Nico looked back. The Daycare was a small building in the distance now. Its hot light was burning brightly. Will and Nico returned to the Daycare out of respect for Chiron’s lab when nobody showed up again.

There was something bittersweet about being at Will’s place. It was comforting to be somewhere Nico really enjoyed. The place was starting to feel home-like to him, despite the fact that he had only been a guest here for two nights. But something about it made him really like it.

But how could he enjoy it? Somewhere in the world, Gaea was getting ready to destroy it all.

_‘Why_ can’t _you enjoy it, though?’_ a small part of his brain asked. _‘It isn’t destroyed yet. She can still be stopped.’_

Behind him in the distance, the Daycare door opened. It was quiet, but it was also the only thing making noise besides the wind.

“Nico?”

Nico pivoted in place, panicking, to see Will stepping out into the snow. He hadn’t sensed Will because he was lost in his own thoughts.

_‘Gods, he’s gonna think I was gonna leave or something,'_ Nico thought, panic-stricken.

Nico rushed back to the Daycare. He didn't want to freak Will out like this. “Yes! I’m here!”

Will finally spotted him out of the darkness. He looked worried.

“I wasn’t going anywhere,” Nico said immediately. “I just – I couldn’t sleep.”

Will ran a hand through his messy hair as he sighed in relief. “You could have woken me up, silly. No need to brood in the dark night alone. Have you been awake all night?”

Nico nodded, slightly guilty.

“Ah, well,” Will huffed, looking around. He settled on the porch, where Nico had been sitting. “Mind if we brood in the dark night together?”

“Will, I don’t think you should stay up all night-“

“Come on, Nico. You shouldn’t stay up all night, either. Let’s compromise and stay up together,” Will sat down on the porch and gestured for Nico to sit down next to him with a pat. Nico hesitated for only a second before sitting down. Will’s life force was as pleasant as always. It made for a nice change of mood.

They sat in silence for a while. Will had his eyes closed for most of that time. Nico was convinced he had somehow managed to fall asleep.

“Sometimes I wonder where I would be if I had done things differently, you know?” Will asked suddenly.

“Uh, yeah. Sure,” Nico replied, not really knowing where Will was going with this.

Will tapped his feet in the snow, kicking some away. “Like … the day I decided to help my mom with the Daycare. Or when I decided I wasn’t going to do PokéCenter stuff. And a bunch of other stuff, too. The things I chose led me to where I am today, ya know?”

“Will, I’m not sure I get where you’re going with this.”

“Well, they’re all stuff in the past. Possibilities that didn’t happen. Maybe things would be better or worse than what I have now, but … I’m happy with now. And these choices or possibilities will keep happening, because that’s life. I think it’s important to swing with it. If you miss, learn from it and swing again.”

Nico sighed. “Will, I appreciate the thought, but we almost died. We didn’t do anything good on that mountain.”

Will put a hand on Nico’s shoulder. He was warm. “But we _didn’t_ die. And yeah, things didn’t pan out. We can worry about the past and not change anything, or we can prepare for the next swing. We’ve come a long way since the first time we met. You’re not going to stop growing now. That’s a principle in Pokémon training, right? Every encounter gains experience, no matter the outcome.”

Nico stayed silent. Will was right. Part of him knew that he shouldn’t get hung up on the “if”, but …

“How much experience does it take to beat a primordial being? What if it isn’t enough?”

“You’re not alone, you know. You’ve got me. I trust you,” Will bumped Nico’s shoulder gently. “Dirt Lady can’t touch us. We just have to keep getting better.”

Nico nodded, listening to Will’s every word. Will grinned, bringing Nico in close.

“Try to relax, okay? I know it feels weird to come back to all of this after three days of weirdness. I feel it, too. But …" Will's voice trailed off, as he looked down at the snow. He tapped his foot in the snow as he figured out what to say. "I think we can get used to it again if we let ourselves let go of the 'what-if’s' first.”

Tonight was different. Not necessarily because Will was here to provide support, but also because Nico allowed himself to listen. It was something new for Nico; accepting support wasn’t something he did on nights like these.

“Will?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

Will smiled, giving him a kiss. “Ready to go inside?”

“I think I’ll stay out here,” Nico said. “The cold is nice.”

Will gave him a quizzical look. Nico rolled his eyes, grinning. “I’m being sarcastic.”

“It’s hard to tell, to be honest,” Will said playfully. “Sounds like something a vampire might say.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

Will shrugged before getting up and opening the door to the Daycare. “You didn’t give me a lot of time to work with. Shall we?”

“Yeah,” Nico said simply as he followed Will inside.

The jabbing pain in his arms had lessened, but the dull ache was still stronger than before. Nico waived it off. Maybe there wasn’t anything to look into with this. Maybe children of Hades were in a perpetual state of arm pain. Nico made a mental note to ask Hazel about that the next time they were together.

Everything was gonna be fine. Nico had to believe in that.

 

~

 

Nico woke up in the reclining chair at Will’s desk feeling well-rested and with the sudden urge to do something.

_‘No nightmares,’_ he noted.

Not a single one, not even the persistent memory from when he was younger. In fact, the night had been unusually quick – he had only closed his eyes for a few seconds before it was six in the morning.

Nico stretched, yawning the sleepy lull away. He stopped suddenly as he stretched out his arms. The pain wasn’t bad anymore. He felt it slightly, but not much. It was the closest they had ever been to normal since his father gave him that blessing.

He stared at his arms as if they were from another planet.

_'… Weird.’_

Will stirred in his bed, but was still sound asleep. The bed really _was_ too cramped for the two of them, and although Nico was reluctant to sleep elsewhere, it was probably for the best. He preferred it if his boyfriend wasn't skewered by dirt that bent under his will in the middle of the night.

Nico got up and shuffled over to Will’s bed, sitting on the edge and shaking Will awake. Will perked up almost immediately, his eyes groggily wide.

“Nico? What’s up? What’s wrong?” he said with a slur.

“Good morning sunshine,” Nico whispered, pulling Will close as he pressed his lips against Will’s. Will turned beet red when Nico pushed him back into bed and continued. He started running a hand through Nico’s hair.

An alarm clock started sounding from across the hall, its annoying buzz killing the mood.

“No privacy anywhere,” Will managed to say as they parted. “And you’re really cold.”

Nico shrugged.

“Guess you won’t like this then,” Nico muttered, hugging Will by the chest.

Will squirmed under Nico’s grasp, letting out a mix between a yelp and a laugh. “Gods, _Nico!_ Get off, you popsicle!”

In Will’s defense, he was only really wearing a single T-shirt and some shorts. Nico waited a bit longer before getting off Will, just in time for Will’s mother to peek through the door.

“Oh, good morning, you two,” she said from the doorway. She looked tired this morning, and not really awake yet.

“Morning, mom,” Will managed to say, his face even redder than before.

If his mother noticed, she didn’t say anything. She seemed oblivious, actually. “I thought I heard a commotion, but I didn’t think you’d be dressed already, Nico. You should get up, Will.”

With that, she closed the door, leaving them alone again. Her footsteps faded into the kitchen. Nico looked down at himself. He had forgotten that he still had last night’s clothes on, minus the aviator jacket.

“You did that on purpose,” Will said.

Nico shrugged. “Didn’t think she’d come in here, to be honest.”

“Sure, ‘cus moms respect privacy,” Will hopped to his feet, a grin on his face. “I’m glad you’re feeling better. I’ll be right back. Bathroom.”

Nico watched Will leave the room. A small part of him wondered if life could have been like this if the world wasn’t about to end. Another part reminded him that they couldn’t have this without running into death’s way in the future. Nico pushed both of those thoughts to the back of his mind as best he could.

The morning really felt like it picked up now that Nico wasn’t the only one awake. Time actually passed at a reasonable rate, for one. He found himself outside the Daycare ready to start an aimless day in the blink of an eye.

Igglybuff whined as a cold gust of air hit them in the face, despite the fact that the Pokémon was wearing a small, red-striped beanie that covered its tuft and most of its body.

“What’s the plan today?” Nico asked.

“I don’t know, to be honest. Head into town, maybe?” Will pointed to their left.

Nico grimaced. Helorus gave him a headache.

“Or not,” Will added quickly, pointing to their right instead. “Whittling Forest has some different kind of Pokémon this time of year. Maybe you’ll like one of them.”

Nico waved him off, already heading towards Helorus. Cubone kept pace with him. “No, it’s fine. I gotta get used to it, is all. Let’s go to town.”

Will followed him reluctantly.

The town was already loud and obnoxious before they could even get to the first lamp post leading up to the damn place. Maybe it was the holiday cheer. Nico wasn’t _that_ stingy, but there was definitely something up with how annoying all this life force noise was. He couldn’t begin to imagine what Bellus was like. It would probably kill him.

The streets were scarce and quiet as they entered town. There wasn’t a soul in sight – literally _and_ figuratively. Nico would know.

“It’s never this quiet,” Will noted.

“I _wish_ it was quiet,” Nico muttered, rubbing the side of his head. The town was definitely not empty. Their chatter was concentrating in a single spot further into town. “I think … everyone’s gathered in the plaza.”

They rounded the corner of another street. There were signs of people leaving in a hurry here. A few screen doors stood ajar and the footsteps in the snow showed people’s rushed attempts to leave their homes. It was a good sign. The town’s population hadn’t just poofed out of existence.

The street opened up to the plaza. It was nauseating. But it looked like the whole town was here, just as Nico said.

“You okay?” Will asked.

Nico held up a finger with his eyes closed, trying to fight the oncoming pounding in his head. He really needed to find a way to hamper how loud everyone was. “Let’s uh … figure out what’s going on.”

Nico squinted at the large crowd in front of them. There was a harsh tension hanging above the crowd, so thick and silent that it felt like they were mourning a loss. But no one was dead. Nico felt like he would be able to tell.

It was hard to know what the crowd was doing, but Will stepped onto a bench and looked over them.

“There’s a group of Nurse Joys and Officers. They don’t look happy. I think … there’s blast craters and some destroyed stuff further down,” Will hopped off of the bench. “Gods, what do you think happened?”

Nico shrugged, looking around the plaza. He spotted a younger guy about their age with a Marill that looked familiar. He was hanging out at the edge of the crowd. The Marill spotted them, waved, and called its trainer’s attention.

The trainer in question looked at them, surprised, before quickly jogging over to them.

_‘What’s his name ...’_ Nico thought as he got closer. He was that guy that was always messing with Will way back when. His best friend. _‘Cecil?’_

“William Solace,” Cecil said grimly, looking serious but also pleasantly surprised. “What a day you’ve picked to come back into existence. _After disappearing from all forms of communication!_ ”

Igglybuff hopped off Will’s shoulder with glee, accidentally dropping its beanie. It didn’t care. The Pokémon rushed to greet Cecil’s Marill. The two pranced around in circles as Cecil stopped in front of them.

“Cecil!” Will said with a smile. “Hey, good to see you!”

“Sure, sure, Solace. Suck up to me now after weeks and weeks of silence,” Cecil said jokingly. “I’ve only single-handedly kept the Daycare running while you were away.”

“Haha, yeah. Sorry. We’ve been, uh, busy. So, what’s up with you?” Will said.

Cecil shrugged. “Oh, you know. Out in the cold at ungodly hours.”

“What’s up with that? Seems kinda odd,” Will nodded towards the gathering to their left.

Again, Cecil shrugged. “I don’t know. Deets are kinda all over the place, but word is there was a Pokémon attack. A kid got spooked when this big Pokémon came into town, wrecked a few things, and dragged an old man into the forest.”

“Gods’ damn it,” Nico muttered, glaring in the general direction of the crowd. “Monster Pokémon attack.”

The thing he’d be worried about for the last day was true. They weren’t really safe with Gaea running around. Sure, this kind of Pokémon were running about for a while, but they were getting braver. Less safe.

“What was that?” Cecil said.

Will bit his lip, eyeing Nico. “Who was the guy that got dragged off?”

“I dunno. No one in town seems to know, and apparently, we’re all accounted for. It’s weird, isn’t it? This has never happened before.”

“Maybe the kid made it up,” Nico said hopefully.

“I doubt we’d still be hanging around waiting for the verdict if that was true,” Cecil tapped his foot on the ground as he spoke.” “Anyway, how you been? There’s been some crazy stuff happening all over the region. Like that forest fire in Arbor?”

Nico exchanged glances with Will. It felt like they reached a silent agreement. There was no way they could risk anyone getting hurt trying to get that guy back. They were the only two here that could handle that monster Pokémon.

“Sorry, Cecil,” Will said apologetically. “We’ll catch up soon, okay?”

Cecil looked offended. “Where are you going?”

Will grimaced as they started walking away. “Sorry! Iggs, come on!”

Igglybuff hopped onto Will’s shoulder as they speed-walked away. Cecil looked at them with utter confusion. “That’s it? My five minutes of conversation?”

“Sorry,” Will said again. “I promise we’ll catch up soon!”

“I thought what we had was special!” Cecil called out to them as they turned the corner of a street.

“Okay,” Will sighed. “First let’s find out where the Pokémon disappeared. Then we’ll cut around the Jennys and find the old guy ourselves. They’re not just gonna let us waltz in.”

Nico nodded, his mind racing with all kinds of possibilities. Cubone looked ready to take on this monster Pokémon.

_‘Relax,’_ Nico chided himself. _‘It’ll be fine.’_

 

* * *

 

Will looked at Nico for the sixth time since they managed to find the monster’s trail. Or rather, its path of destruction as it dragged the old man along.

“You okay?” Will asked. “Worst fears coming to life can’t feel very good.”

Nico glance at him, careful not to fall over the slippery patch of dirty snow in front of them. “Yeah, fine. We talked already, Will. I’ve never felt better.”

“Let me know if that changes, okay?”

Nico huffed. “ _Yes,_ doctor, I’ll let you know.”

Will gave Nico a light push. “Alright, no need for the sass. I just worry about you.”

“I know,” Nico replied. “I’m fine for now. When someone is dying on the floor then I’ll let you know.”

Igglybuff waved its hand urgently. “Buff! Igglybuff!”

“What? Of course it’d be too late by then,” Will said, shaking his head. “He was being sarcastic.”

“Iggly. Buff!” the Pokémon said, confused.

Will sighed. “We need to work on your comedic skills, Iggs.”

They fell silent as the trail got harder to follow. The snow wasn’t as deep or impressionable here, so it was hard to pick up where the old man had gotten dragged to. The only thing they could follow was a few broken brambles, the occasional imprint in the snow, or claw marks in the dirt.

Will found himself holding his breath the first time they saw the claw marks. It was definite proof that it wasn’t a Ghost-type Pokémon. Those things had a tendency to kidnap children and old people from time to time. It was tragic but very rare. In the back of his mind, he was hoping that it was. It would have been easier to deal with than an enraged monster.

To think that something like this would happen in Helorus was … unnerving. A hard slap in the face that Gaea’s threat over the region was slowly but surely spreading. So far, they’d only encountered monster attacks on the routes between towns. But one of them coming _into_ town? That fact alone was worrying. But the fact that the Pokémon actually _took_ someone? That was unheard of.

“Maybe I should be the one asking if you’re alright,” Nico said.

Will looked up, breaking out of his thoughts. “Uh, what?”

“You’re drifting off.”

“Am not. And I’m fine,” Will said. “Look.”

Will pointed to the clearing up ahead. On the other side, the old man was laying on the snow-ridden floor. As they got closer, it was clear the old man was alone. The monster was nowhere to be seen. They stopped right before the clearing.

“So, it’s a trap, right?” Will said.

“I guess it is. I think I’m more worried about the fact that it’s so obvious.”

“Or maybe the fact that this Pokémon is playing it smart? I thought they were consumed with chaos or whatever. There’s no room for reasoning, is there?”

Nico unhooked a PokéBall from his belt and signaled for Cubone to get ready. The Ground-type nodded, readying its bone and moving forward. “Just keep an eye out, okay? You get the old man and I’ll try to keep its attention.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Will took a deep breath. Igglybuff patted him on his ear. “Thanks, buddy. I can always rely on your support when I face impending doom.”

“Buff!”

“Sarcasm, bud.”

The Pokémon looked offended. It waved its arms around accusatorily. “Igglybuff?”

“It wasn’t a jab at you, Iggs. I was trying to lighten the mood,” Will gestured at the clearing and the groaning man on the ground. “It’s a joke.”

“Will,” Nico said sharply, looking at him in disbelief. “Really?”

“What? Oh, sorry,” Will straightened up. “Okay, ready.”

Nico shook his head, walking into the clearing with Cubone at his side and Murkrow’s PokéBall in his hand. Will followed behind him with Igglybuff on his shoulder.

Nothing. No sudden attack, no movement among the trees. It was as if the Pokémon really was gone.

They moved closer to the old man with caution. He looked fine, but his constant groaning made Will feel bad for his condition. No one should be dragged off like that. No one should encounter this kind of Pokémon, period.

“Who are you?” the man said as they approached him.

Will took one final glance at their surroundings before kneeling to help the man into a sitting position. He reeked of alcohol and his clothes were ragged and torn. It was hard to tell how much of the dirt was from getting dragged through the forest and how much was just grim.

Will ignored it. “I’m Will. This is Nico. We’re gonna take you back to town, alright? Do you know where the Pokémon that took you is?”

Will felt the ground beneath him pull both of them to the side like a conveyor belt as a Pokémon came running out of the forest at high speeds. The sudden jerk made Will lose his balance.

Nico had moved the ground with his power just as the monster Pokémon lunged at where they used to be. The Pokémon missed and collided with Cubone’s Bone Club attack.

The monster Pokémon growled in displeasure, leaping back and creating some distance between them. It was a four-legged Pokémon that stood as tall as a person. Its yellow fur was accented by black fur in odd shapes. It had a puffy coat of purple fur along its back, two sharp canines, and a blue tail that looked like a lightning bolt.

Will had never seen this Pokémon before. It definitely wasn’t from this area. Judging from its looks, Will guessed that it was an Electric-type.

His hunch was right. The Pokémon shot a beam of electricity at them, but Cubone jumped in the way and absorbed the attack.

“Alright, let’s get you up,” Will said as he tried to help the man up again. But the man struggled against him, fighting back and using his weight to stay on the floor.

“No! Leave me be!” he said, his face scrunched up in anger.

_‘You’ve gotta be kidding,’_ Will thought, looking back at Nico.

Will’s palms felt cold and sweaty. This wasn’t good. The Electric-type charged toward them, barring its fangs. Nico didn’t hesitate as he threw Murkrow’s PokéBall into the air. Cubone jumped in front of the Electric-type, and the two Pokémon crashed together. Murkrow emerged from its PokéBall and nosedived immediately, using its Wing Attacks to throw the Electric-type off.

The distraction gave Cubone the chance to counter-attack.

But the Electric-type was quick. Before Cubone could wind up its swing, it backed off again. The Pokémon seemed in no hurry to attack them. It circled them slowly, as if it was observing them.

“I don’t think it’s one of those enraged Pokémon,” Will noted

“No. Terras, maybe,” Nico said without looking away from the Electric-type. “Get the old man out of here, Will. I’ll cover you.”

Will tried helping the old man up again, but to no avail. He was resisting too much.

“Okay, that’s not working,” Will said, wiping his hands on his knees. They were getting to be too sweaty. “Plan B. Iggs, can you calm him down?”

Igglybuff hopped off Will’s shoulder and approached the old man. Avoiding the man’s arm swat, the puff began singing its Heal Pulse song.

Behind them, the Electric-type snarled. Its fangs became surrounded by electricity as it ran towards Nico. Cubone ran in front and tried to attack, but the Electric-type ignored it and leapt at Nico, its fangs bared.

Before Will could say, “Watch out!”, Nico managed to get out of the way. He slipped to his knees, but was otherwise okay. Without skipping a beat, Nico started to draw the Electric-type away from Will.

Will turned his attention back to the problem at hand. Even after Heal Pulse, the old man wasn’t cooperating. He was getting even feistier, swatting Will’s hands away and hugging the ground.

“Plan C, then,” Will muttered. He unhooked Psyduck’s PokéBall and threw it. “Please be useful, Psyduck.”

The Water-type emerged from the PokéBall in a flash of red light and promptly landed in the snow face-first without moving. Great.

The Electric-type tossed Cubone to the side with a nasty claw swipe. Nico’s Monitor jingled feebly twice, saying, “Critical hit! Low health!” on his wrist before starting to beep suddenly. It seemed to short-circuit as it said, “Novice mode set. Trainer tip: switch out your Pokémon against a poor matchup!”

Right. As if Terras or their enraged Pokémon would ever abide by battle rules.

“Let’s regroup,” Nico called out to Cubone. “Focus.”

Cubone backed off and tried to settle down using Focus Energy, but the Electric-type didn’t exactly care. It lunged at Cubone once more, and although Murkrow tried to stop it, the Pokémon swiped at Cubone with its claws. Cubone had the mind to break its focus and duck out of the way.

“Cubone used Focus Energy! It failed!” Nico’s Monitor jingled. “Trainer tip: when your Pokémon’s health is low, use an HP recovering item!”

“Shut _up,”_ Nico growled, bashing his Monitor against a tree. The Monitor buzzed and made a strangled noise before dying out.

“Come on, Psyduck, get up,” Will pleaded.

The Water-type stuck its head out of the ground, its poker face covered in snow.

“Great! Water Pulse!”

Psyduck turned to look at the Electric-type. But instead of attacking, the Pokémon started waddling towards it. Psyduck stopped at the other Pokémon’s feet. The Electric-type snarled and swiped at Psyduck, but Psyduck got up again and did the same thing.

“Psyduck! What the hell!” Will called out, frustrated.

The Electric-type was too focused on Psyduck to notice Cubone glow a deep red, its eyes glinting dangerously. As the Pokémon swiped Psyduck away again, Cubone landed a Rage-powered Stomping Tantrum attack. The attack sent the Electric-type flying backward with a strong shockwave that made the snow fall off of the trees around them.

“Enough,” the old man said behind them. He seemed oddly calm now. “We yield.”

Cubone threw its bone at the Electric-type with incredible speed. The bone spun faster as it reached its target.

“I said we yield!” the old man said in a booming voice. Cubone’s club stopped in midair before dropping down into the snow uselessly.

Will turned around.

The man morphed into a pudgy familiar face and his clothes turned into an ugly Hawaiian shirt with conflicting colors. And although he now looked clean, he still smelled of alcohol. Wine, specifically.

“… You,” Will said.

Dionysus gave him an ugly look. “I certainly hope you shall refer to me with due respect.”

Nico shuffled through the snow, looking angry. “ _You_ did this. It’s a set-up.”

“Heroes these days. No respect at all. Hiding behind this veil of secrecy has made mortals ungrateful,” Dionysus looked at Nico with annoyance. “Try again.”

Nico bit his lip, and Will could tell that he was holding back the urge to let loose on the Olympian. But Nico swallowed his pride and said, “What can we help you with?”

His tone was dry and not entirely sincere, but Dionysus took it. He cleared his throat and procured a can of Diet Coke from his shirt pocket, which really couldn’t hold anything bigger than a dozen coins. He cracked the can open and took a sip. “I simply needed to test your poise. While I’m not particularly fond of some of the inhabitants of this region,” he gave both of them a purposeful stare, “I _am_ interested in continuing to live in a chaos-free world.”

Psyduck appeared beside Will, waddling towards Dionysus before stopping. The Pokémon looked at Dionysus expectantly.

“Quite wise,” Dionysus noted. “How you managed to befriend a Pokémon of this caliber is beyond me.”

Will glanced at Psyduck. Even if it _was_ looking at Dionysus, its emotionless eyes stared blankly ahead.

_‘It wasn’t hard,’_ Will thought. _‘But a Pokémon of this caliber? What does that mean?’_

The Electric-type Pokémon appeared by Dionysus’ side, which scared Will half to death. He was still in life-or-death mode, after all.

“Raikou isn’t interested in attacking you,” Dionysus said, eyebrow raised.

_‘Obviously,’_ Will thought, but said nothing.

“So we passed your test,” Nico said bluntly. “Now what?”

It felt like Dionysus was in a constant state of annoyance. He wasn’t hiding his displeasure at Nico’s question. “Your technique is sloppy and unorganized. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gaea quashes you like a Joltik the second she regains her strength.”

… Ouch.

“Although, it isn’t impossible for a Joltik to take down even the biggest of Wailord,” Dionysus said. He paused thoughtfully before continuing. “For someone who is only half of the way done with the League challenge, you certainly held your ground against us, even if you  _are_ a demigod. Perhaps there is hope for you yet.”

Will was about to comment that Pokemon was the only one who did anything, but thought better of it. That probably wouldn’t go well for him.

“Time is growing short. I am not one to trust heroes for much, but _someone_ has to have their head screwed on right. I am here because Raikou and I agree on one thing," Dionysus said. He stopped, apparently waiting for someone to prompt him to say more.

“What thing is that?” Will asked.

“That despite our dislike for heroes, we must rely on you to resolve this issue,” Dionysus frowned at the same time as Raikou growled unpleasantly. It was a bit uncanny. “Seeing as the gods have fallen into useless disarray, there is no one else. You seek a flower, do you not? What better place to seek than the city in constant bloom?”

Dionysus cleared his throat, turning his back on them haughtily.

“Your efforts here prove that this is all the help you need. Good day.”

Nico stepped forward. “Wait. You said something about the gods. You don’t mean the League, do you? Is Hazel all right?”

“Who?”

Nico’s anger visibly flared. “My sister.”

“I don’t recall who you speak of,” Dionysus said disdainfully. “Good day, son of Hades. Wilmer.”

Dionysus nodded at each of them, walking towards Raikou. The two seemed to be talking telepathically for a moment before Dionysus’ form changed again. His Hawaiian shirt morphed into a fur pelt that resembled Raikou’s yellow and black-striped fur and a robe. At the same time, Dionysus procured a staff from his robes, which glowed with a powerful and rich purple. With a poof, Dionysus and Raikou both disappeared, leaving a gross grape smell hanging in the air.

Will looked at Nico. He had his hands balled up into fists and his ears were red with anger.

“Hey,” Will said, patting him on the back. “You gonna be okay? You got really mad there.”

Nico tensed before letting out a breath, slumping his shoulders. “Yeah, fine. What a piece of work, though. Scarred a kid for life, destroyed a part of town, and got everyone all worked up over an old man that never existed. Just to ‘test’ us.”

Cubone trudged through the snow next to Nico, looking exhausted. Murkrow landed on Nico’s shoulder, its beak open as it breathed heavily.

Nico’s Monitor flashed meekly, making disturbing noises. “Low health! Low health! Trainer tip: switch out your Pokémon against bad ma- “

Nico ripped the Monitor off, threw it to the ground, and stamped on it with his foot. The poor thing fizzled out as its hologram-like screen dimmed to nothingness. “Gods, that thing has been busted for days. I’m glad it wasn’t that annoying when Leo gave it to us.”

Will chuckled. “You’re okay then?”

“Eh. I’m annoyed. Irritated. I’m so hungry I could eat about a dozen cheeseburgers,” Nico said off-handedly. “Which makes me even more annoyed, because all this damn city has is sandwiches.”

Will laughed. “Okay then. Let’s get out of here and get some food. All the mythical quest stuff gets put on the backburner for now.”

“Thanks,” Nico said. “But before that, let’s get Cubone and Murkrow fixed up.”

 

~

 

Will didn’t think a supermarket would be the place he’d be in only half an hour after battling a god. This cheery holiday music wasn’t exactly heroic or mythical.

“This is the closest thing you’re going to get,” Will pointed at the frozen foods. There were a couple of shriveled up pre-cooked burgers sitting on one of the racks. The packets had a happy Miltank staring at them. Probably not what that Miltank had in mind back on the farm.

Nico grabbed all of them and tossed them into the cart.

“You’re really gonna eat all of that?” Will said.

Nico nodded. “You know I will.”

“But the sodium …” Will sighed. “The cholesterol … you’ll get taken out by a heart attack. What a heroic way to go.”

Igglybuff snatched a packet of pastries that looked like Jigglypuffs from its spot on the seat of the cart. “Buff! Iggly!”

It had been a while since Will had seen these things. They felt nostalgic.

“Just this once, Iggs,” Will said.

The Pokémon cheered and began waving the packet around like a kid.

A TV mounted on the wall started playing as they walked past. “This report just in; the League has temporarily closed for the time being and will not be accepting challengers until further notice. The League Council has not released a statement yet. Details to follow.”

Will stopped, turning to look at the TV.

“The League closed?” Will muttered. “That never happens.”

“What’s up?” Nico stopped next to Will.

Will pointed at the TV, but the news report quickly changed back to normal programming.

“The League is closed. Isn’t Hazel there with the others right now?”

Nico frowned. “Yeah, they are.”

“Uh, it’s probably nothing,” Will started pushing the cart along. “They’re probably on their way back right now.”

It was a weak argument, but Nico took it. It didn’t take long for them to pay for their things and heat up their food, but Nico only prepped one of the six burgers he bought. Probably not a good sign. The news of the League closing had quickly spread around town. They must have come across seven individual groups of people talking about it on their way out. 

Regardless, Will led them to an isolated part of the plaza in hopes of keeping Nico’s headaches in check. Everyone had cleared out after the old man had apparently come out of the woods unharmed. Probably one of Dionysus’ tricks.

The plaza wasn’t as full as it normally was, but at least the holiday decorations were finally in place. Will loved this time of year because of how pretty the place looked at night.

Igglybuff tore open its pack of pastries eagerly, holding one out in victory.

“Buff!” the Pokémon said as it offered Cubone a piece.

Will turned his attention to the plaza again, wondering if he could spot Cecil. He had no such luck, though. If anything, Cecil was probably at the Daycare working. Will really owed Cecil at least a week of hanging out and playing video games, at least. Admittedly, Will had completely forgotten to call him at all. Will continued to look around the plaza with no particular interest.

A person that looked eerily like Jason was wandering the plaza. He really stood out from the others. For one, his clothes were singed and torn again.

“Nico, is that … Jason?” Will pointed.

Nico glanced over and sighed in relief. “Yeah, it’s him. They’re back.”

Jason spotted them at the same time. He gave them a grin that made him look like a crazy person, with his singed clothes and the way his hair looked like he had just been in an explosion. Apparently, the man was doomed to look like he was in a perpetual state of battle.

“Hey,” Jason said as he approached the table. He took a seat opposite them and slumped over the table without waiting for a response. He looked relieved. “I’m glad I found you two. I was really hoping you hadn’t left yet.”

“Where’s everyone else?” Nico asked, looking around. “Is Hazel okay?”

Jason nodded grimly. “Yeah, we’re all fine. So you know already, huh?”

“How could we not? The news just broke and everyone’s talking about it,” Will said. “It’s kinda hard to stay put, though.”

Jason rubbed his eyes, exhausted. “Thank gods you did. It’s a nightmare. The normal news picked up a basic story, but it’s much worse.”

“Why did the League close?” Will asked.

“It – it didn’t. Mount Olympus is in a rough spot. My dad sealed off Olympus before … uh, the gods lost it.”

Nico and Will exchanged confused looks. “Lost what?”

Jason hesitated, looking as if he was trying to find the right words. “It's a bit hard to explain. Honestly, we aren't too sure ourselves, but it's the best explanation we have. Annabeth is going to talk with her siblings and hopefully confirm the theory. But anyway, you know that Legendaries and a god are equals. They share a bond and all that stuff. It’s like their souls are meshed into one single entity, right? It’s a mutual thing.”

Will shook his head. “I wouldn’t know. Honestly, this stuff’s all pretty new.”

“Well, that’s how it is. When we arrived at Olympus and we explained what happened to Iris and how it happened … well, I guess they all reacted differently. But the news sparked a really big disagreement between the Legendary Pokémon and the Olympians. That _never_ happens. And they started losing it, one by one.”

“What does that mean?” Nico said impatiently.

“The bond they share with their Legendary is internal. But they’re disagreeing so much in their own head that they’re fighting over control of what to do,” Jason said, pointing at his head. “It’s so bad, most of the gods are in pain and literally can’t do anything. At least, that's what we think right now. My dad – Zeus – he locked Olympus before any of the gods could go berserk. We barely got out in time.”

“But … we just came across Dionysus an hour ago. He looked fine,” Nico noted.

“Really? But he was there when it started to happen,” Jason paused, thinking. “If I’m honest, I wasn’t paying attention to him. Maybe he was able to leave, too.”

“He said that he and Raikou were on the same page,” Will added. “That he had his head screwed on right.”

“Then that’s why. He and Raikou aren’t in disagreement,” Jason said. He seemed to be thinking aloud more than anything. “Without Olympus functioning, we’re on our own …”

“I mean, we were on our own already,” Nico said. “So not much has changed.”

“Hm. I think you two should get a move on with that prophecy. Do you have a lead?”

“Dionysus recommended looking for the city that is always in bloom,” Will shrugged. “He was pretty cryptic about the whole thing.”

“They usually are. Gods can’t really give straight answers to heroes on quests. But if you’re looking for the city that’s always blooming, you’re going to want to head to Florentia. The name kind of gives it away,” Jason said.

“Thanks for the tip," Will noted.

Jason looked around the plaza, uneasy.

“There’s too much to do. I think I’ll head back north again. I need to talk to Reyna about this whole situation. Which reminds me,” Jason turned back to them sternly. “Be careful in Florentia when you’re dealing with mythical stuff.”

“Is it dangerous there?” Nico asked.

“No, no,” Jason paused. “Well, yeah. A little. It’s one of the older towns that’s still accustomed to some of the … other beliefs in Olympia. Just don’t talk about the Olympians when you’re there. If you do, talk about their respective patron Pokémon instead. Trust me.”

Will nodded, but he didn’t really understand. It was an odd request.

“Great. I’m off, but stay in touch. Before I –“

“We can’t stay in touch. My Monitor’s busted,” Nico said, pulling out the remains of his beat-up Monitor. It made a weak beeping noise to drive the point home.

“Ah. The Lavarge Gym should have something for you. Leo might not be around, but the Hephaestus kids are,” Jason rummaged in his pocket for a second. “Before I go, here.”

Jason tossed Nico a badge. Its shiny surface glinted a gold sparkle. Will was able to catch the lightning bolt shaped pattern on the front.

“It’s a Gym Badge for what you did on the mountain. I know it’s out of order from what you have now, but I think you’ve earned it.”

“Um, thanks,” Nico said, putting the badge on the table. “Are you gonna leave looking like that?”

Jason frowned. “Like what?”

“Have you seen yourself over the last day, Jason? You look … interesting,” Will tried to tell him gently.

“I’m fine,” Jason insisted. He brushed off his shirt lightly before taking out a PokéBall and calling out his Braviary. “I gotta go. Stay in touch. I’ll let the others know what your plan is.”

Before Will knew it, Braviary flew into the air with Jason on its back. He watched as the pair flew away into the sky, until they were nothing but a speck in the sky. Nobody else seemed to mind much. Maybe they were all too tired from the morning to care.

Nico leaned back in his chair. “You know, part of me wants to leave town tonight.”

“I know,” Will said, exasperated. “If I didn’t know any better, you want to leave now.”

“Eh,” Nico shook his head. “Maybe before. But right now, I just want a normal afternoon … do you think we could see if the Daycare needs some help?”

Will laughed. “I don’t think you wanna do that, Nico. It’s boring work. You saw how it was in Arbor Town.”

“No, really. We’ve been doing my thing with the whole League challenge. I want to try your thing,” Nico persisted. “It’ll be great.”

Will tried to come up with a reason why they shouldn't, but he couldn't think of one. 

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Will said. He had no idea why Nico was suddenly interested, but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t looking forward to it.

A normal afternoon at the Daycare felt like a good way to end the day. The gods knew they hadn’t had a normal afternoon in a while.

 

* * *

 

Nico shifted uncomfortably as he followed Will back to the Daycare. His arms had started hurting again since the encounter with Dionysus. The fight had both put him at ease and made him anxious about what was coming next. The god wasn't an ally in any way. It was clear that Dionysus hated them with a passion and took pleasure in insulting them. In a way, his weak approval of them being the ones to fulfill the prophecy was a good thing.

But still. What were the odds that a Joltik could take down the biggest Wailord in the ocean? It was a bad metaphor that put everything in perspective. What was a Bug-type to the earth itself?

Nico pushed back the negative thoughts that threatened to flood through his mind. He couldn't be negative. They just needed to train and become better. 

_'Just like Will said,'_ Nico thought as he resisted the urge to wave his arms around to get rid of the pain.  _'Every encounter gains experience. Yeah, that's it.'_

Nico glanced down at Cubone, who was dragging its club through the snow as they walked. In a way, this whole situation wasn't very different from the League challenge. Training and getting stronger to overcome the obstacle was something Nico was familiar with. And if he could get this far without being prepared, he could get all the way to the end with the right mindset and a lot of training. He had to believe that.

"Buff?"

Igglybuff stared at Nico from its spot on Will's shoulder. Its big brown eyes were full of curiosity but lacked any concern. The puffball wasn't that good at picking up on situations, unlike Will. Nico gave the Pokemon a brief nod as he straightened up.

_'We'll start training again tomorrow,'_ Nico thought to himself, his resolve growing. 

With any luck, tomorrow would be a mythical-free day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This night part was supposed to be a resolution to the last chapter, but I wrote it in a different doc so it got left out. It's now merged into this chapter, so I guess it all turned out alright in the end. 
> 
> Speaking of, this chapter has gone through the most revisions and three different iterations, so I haven't gotten that head start I've been wanting to get during a two-week update. Our toil continues!
> 
> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Cheers.


	26. Back to Business

Will lay awake in his bed comfortably, hugging a sleeping Nico in his arms as the other snored lightly. He lived for mornings like these, where nothing else mattered but Nico’s warmth.

Nico mumbled in his sleep, which was normal. Will was still getting used to it, even if Nico suddenly started half-yelling and thrashing around. He didn’t like those parts so much. It usually ended up with Nico’s elbow digging into him, which made Will spend a half hour trying to scoot away without waking the other.

Luckily, this morning wasn’t one of those days. Will felt a jolt of warmth shoot through him as Nico shifted and something about sunshine.

_‘I’d stay like this forever if I could,’_ Will thought, breathing out a sigh. But the world had to continue spinning, didn’t it?

Will yawned, turning slightly to make himself more comfortable. Ten more minutes wouldn’t hurt anyone. He pulled Nico in closer and kissed his forehead before closing his eyes and falling back asleep.

 

~

 

The early morning was abnormally warm and bright. Some of the snow had started to melt away, leaving dangerous sections of slippery ground in its wake. Patches of new unruly weeds were already sprouting.

Will couldn’t really recall ever seeing these kinds of plants. They were wild looking. And they had come in quick, as if the snow had been melting for days.

“Straight to Florentia, then?” Nico asked, rubbing his hands together and shivering slightly. He was bundled up in his aviator jacket again. Behind him, Cubone waded through the melting snow, which crunched beneath its feet.

Will sighed, trying to ignore the fact that they really had to leave again. “I can’t believe the snow isn’t going to set this year. It always does, and it was already pretty deep.”

Nico nudged him.

“Yeah, alright. To sunny, sunny Florentia, then,” Will grimaced. “Divine flower picking here we come.”

“Don’t be so grim,” Nico said. “That’s my job.”

Will smiled. “Okay, Mr. Doom-and-gloom. It just sucks, is all.”

Will took Nico’s hand without much thought, looking out into the vast expanse of Route 03. Whittling Forest looked nice this time of year.

After they were sure that they weren’t leaving anything behind, they plunged into darkness. 

It was as awful as Will remembered it. The first time they had shadow traveled, the adrenaline pumping through his veins made it easier. There wasn’t an evil Legendary Pokémon to supply him with the adrenaline this time. He felt like nothing and all he could see was darkness. Weightless nothingness. This was what not existing felt like.

He could only really feel Nico’s hand, which was unusually comforting in an otherwise empty void.

Will continued to not exist for a while longer as they continued shadow-traveling, but he was starting to get worried. It shouldn’t be taking this long, should it?

Nico’s hand suddenly slipped away from his in a jerky motion, as if something had pulled it away. Will felt himself become something again as he was flung forward. Darkness became light, and the first thing Will registered was a face-full of dirt and the smell of grass.

He felt nauseous and disoriented as he got into a sitting position. Bits of dirt and plant stuff stuck to his face and clothes, but that wasn’t important right now.

Will groaned. “Nico, what happened?”

When Nico didn’t reply, Will looked up. It was hot and humid, like the middle of summer, and the sun’s rays shined down onto the flowery meadow around him. But Will couldn’t see Nico anywhere.

Cubone emerged from the tall grass, looking pained and irritable. It was clasping its bone tightly and rubbing its head. The Pokémon spotted Will and slowly walked to him.

A Ledyba approached with a determined battle-ready expression, but Cubone slapped it away with an annoyed growl.

“Nico!” Will called out, standing up to get a better view. But he was alone. He didn’t even have his rucksack anymore, which Igglybuff was sleeping in.

A bead of sweat fell down Will’s forehead as he tried to think.

 

~

 

The entrance to the inn was dim and quiet, with its only light source being the stylized candles that sat in the center of each table. The wooden tables felt old and worn, but didn’t show any sign of breaking.

This wasn’t Florentia. It was the village of Delos, which wasn’t anywhere near where they had intended to go. He’d never heard of this place until now.

Will hunched over his Monitor, trying to get it to work. His luck wasn’t great so far; no one was answering him and the thing itself was having a difficult time loading apps and doing even the most basic task. It was really frustrating.

Will sunk lower into his seat as the inn owner passed by, giving him a hopeful look. Will had no intention of staying here and would gladly go somewhere else, but the town didn’t have a Pokémon Center. At least in here he could escape the blaring sun, which was too hot to sit in for long.

The loading bar crawled slowly across the screen, making Will irritated. He was wasting time.

The door to the inn opened and a pair of young teens stepped inside, greeting the innkeeper. A Volbeat and a Sunflora followed them. Will was thankful as he glanced up to see the innkeeper walk towards them.

The two new people were definitely younger than Will was. The boy was bundled up despite the hot weather, and his long coat made him look like he came from wandering out in the snow. He was stockily built. The girl had intense red hair with splashes of dyed neon green. She was taller than the boy and dressed in casual summer clothing.

When the pair made eye contact with him, Will offered a smile and nodded before turning his attention back to his slow Monitor.

It took him a minute to realize that they had started to murmur between themselves and were giving Will weird looks. It was incredibly distracting, and he couldn’t ignore it. Their mumbling and hushed talk weren't helping Will’s concentration.

Will sighed. “Alright, back to business.”

He tapped the map function of the Monitor for the fiftieth time. The loading icon appeared again, but just like the last few times, it made the Monitor freeze up.

The inn’s Minccino passed by with its sweeping tail as Will tapped his finger against the table impatiently. It had been what, an hour now? Two? Was Nico alright?

Thoughts of Nico lost in that sea of darkness or thrown into a dangerous place, or even out into the middle of nowhere crept into his brain.

He grew progressively more desperate as time dragged by slowly. And yet, the loading bar seemed to drag by even slower than that. Getting nowhere, Will was losing his patience quickly.

On the other side of the inn, the pair’s talking became louder.

“C’mon, it won’t hurt to _ask_!”

“Kayla, no. It’s too much of a coincidence.”

The Volbeat buzzed obnoxiously, making everything worse.

“Sure, but it’ll be great if it turns out okay.”

“I don’t know. I don’t wanna bother him …”

Will rolled his eyes. They already _were_ bothering him. His patience was already so short, he couldn’t bear to hear these two bicker about talking to him any longer. He had _things_ to do. Feeling unusually brash, Will turned to face them.

“I’m sorry,” Will said irritably, “Can I _help_ you?”

The boy gulped, looking surprised. He stepped forward nervously, meeting Will’s scowl with a wince.

“Sorry, it’s just … um, nevermind,” he turned to the girl pleadingly. “C’mon, let’s just go.”

“No,” the girl said staunchly. “Listen, you look like someone we know. Who are you?”

Will wanted to say, _‘Someone who wants to be left alone.’_

But there wasn’t really a reason to do it. The reasonable part of Will reminded him that his problems weren’t their fault. Will sighed.

“Will. Listen, I’ve had a rough morning. If we’ve met before, it was probably at – “

“You’re not an Apollo kid, are you?” the girl interrupted.

The question caught Will off guard, making his irritation dissipate suddenly. “Uh, yeah. I guess I am.”

The pair looked at each other with a renewed sense of excitement. Will wasn’t sure if he appreciated that. “Great! You look a lot like Dad, you know. I’m Kayla, and this is Austin.”

Will tried to smile, but Kayla’s use of “Dad” bothered him. Back at Chiron’s place, everyone had touched on the simple fact that Olympians had many children, but Will had really tried to gloss over it. The idea didn’t really cement in his head, so he thought he was okay with it.

At the very least, Kayla was the only other Apollo kid here.

“Wow, you really are Dad’s spitting image,” Austin said with a smile. “Like, really. For a sec, I thought you were actually him.”

Will gave the guy a half-nod. Scratch that first thought.

“What gives?” Kayla said. “You look seriously down.”

The idea really wasn’t that odd, if Will thought about it. The concept of divine heritage was weirder than this, right?

“Uh, nothing. I’ve never met another … ‘Apollo kid’, I guess,” Will said carefully.

“Oh. Well, if it makes you feel any better, it’s just me and Austin. Dad’s not as dedicated as the other Olympians, to put it that way.”

Austin tapped Kayla’s shoulder, whispering, “Lee and Michael …”

“Austin,” Kayla said quickly, in a hushed voice. Not that it mattered, because Will could still hear her perfectly. “Let’s just casually bring that up, huh? Time and place!”

Will raised an eyebrow as Kayla glared Austin down. They really did look nothing alike. If some stranger were to pass by, they’d never be able to tell that the three of them shared a parent.

“Listen, guys,” Will said, interrupting Kayla’s silent but effective assault on Austin, “I’m kind of pressed for time here. I’m glad we met and all, but I really gotta get back to my problem.”

“Well, here’s the thing,” Austin said, taking the opportunity to retreat away from Kayla. He looked around and lowered his voice, “We’ve got a situation. You’ve gotta help us.”

Will clicked his tongue, feeling guilty. “I’m sorry guys, but I’ve got something important right now. You can find someone else.”

“No,” Kayla said harshly. Realizing her mistake, she lowered her voice apologetically. “It has to be someone from the family tree. It’s difficult to explain, but please. We’ll help you in any way we can, but we really need your help first.”

Will really didn’t like this. On one hand, helping them would be a waste of time in terms of finding Nico. On the other hand, he couldn’t help but give them a hand. They were his siblings after all, and even if they were total strangers, Will was just that kind of person.

His mind circuited back to the issue at hand. He wasn’t just losing time to find Nico. He was losing valuable time in getting to the next step of his quest.

But still …

“Alright,” Will sighed, knowing that he couldn’t forgive himself if something were to happen because he didn’t help, “But this _has_ to be quick. I need to find someone.”

Austin and Kayla both smiled with relief. Kayla ran back to where they were previously sitting at and grabbed her bag before heading towards the door.

“Well, let’s get going! We’ll explain on the way over. Hurry!”

Will quickly found himself outside of the inn, wondering what he could possibly do to help. He didn’t even know what the problem was in the first place. He shook his head, looking around.

The town was pretty. It reminded Will of that small town just south of Bellus. Delphi was practically in ruins, though. While the buildings were similar, this place was obviously well-maintained. The meadow that the town sat on near the base of some mountains was a nice bonus, too.

“Big bro,” Kayla said, patting his shoulder. “Are you in a hurry or not?”

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry. Let’s go.”

 

~

 

“Dad’s temple stopped working recently. We want to get in, but it’s closed shut and there’s a guardian that we can’t get by at all.”

“Guardian?”

“Yeah. A Pokémon, obviously. One of Dad’s sacred symbols,” Austin waived his hand dismissively. “It’s nothing to worry about, honestly. Think of it as a test to get in. Problem is, neither of us have Pokémon that are strong enough.”

“I’m sure there’s a trainer or two who can handle it,” Will suggested.

“No, it has to be someone in the family tree. You know, related to Dad. Or else the real part of the temple won’t open,” Kayla said. “Which is why it was _so_ exciting to find you! You look so much like Dad, it would have been stupid not to think you were one of us.”

“Except he could have been anyone,” Austin grumbled. “You know telling a normal person about all the mythical stuff isn’t good.”

“Oh, calm down you baby. I didn’t even mention anything. It worked out.”

Will cleared his throat. “Give it a break, guys. Where’s the temple?”

“It’s not too far. Look over there,” Austin pointed towards a grove in the distance up against the hillside. “That’s the entrance.”

Will looked over the tall trees, noting how dark the path seemed to get inside.

“It’s kinda dark, isn’t it? I thought his temple would be more … sunny.”

Austin smiled, nodding. “Yeah. It’s one of the better temples, in my opinion. You’ll see!”

A Caterpie wriggled by them as they walked up the path leading to the collection of trees. It was in hot pursuit of a smaller Paras, which was waving a small mushroom in its pincers mockingly. The Caterpie didn’t look pleased.

Cubone glared at the two wild Pokémon. The Pokémon had remained as stoic as ever, but it seemed to be in a particularly bad mood right now. It was holding its bone with both hands, as if it was apprehensive. Its caution didn’t translate into awareness, though. The Pokémon tripped over a stone and fell to the ground.

Austin made an attempt to help the Pokémon back up, but Cubone growled menacingly.

Austin pulled his hand back quickly, glancing at Will. “Your Cubone’s kind of mean, isn’t it?”

“Oh, sorry. Cubone isn’t mine, actually. My, uh,” Will paused as he thought about Nico again. “We gotta do this quick, alright? I have someone to find.”

Kayla and Austin exchanged confused looks, but both of them nodded and picked up the pace.

The grove was as dark as Will imagined it. The trees formed a thick canopy which didn’t let a lot of light through. It was a surprise that they weren’t attacked by Shroomish or other dark-loving Pokémon.

Kayla’s Volbeat illuminated the way through the otherwise dark forest. Will peered into the dark, noting the ancient bark of the trees and some peculiar looking pillars that popped up every once in a while. In their prime, the pillars might have supported archways or something to guide the way. Now, all they had to get to the temple was a weathered, root-covered brick path.

A Rattata scurried up a tree as they passed through a final set of pillars, which was in a somewhat better shape than the rest. Will moved some heavy underbrush away, revealing a clearing that was somehow brighter than the outside. The sun’s rays seemed to shine down on the entire clearing with a harsh intensity.

A sculpture of Apollo stood in the center of the clearing, donning a bow in one hand and a lyre in the other. But that was it. The man was literally not wearing anything else, bar a marble cloth around his shoulders.

“Eugh, I don’t need to see that,” Will said, holding his hand up as he walked around the statue.

“It’s a bit much,” Kayla agreed, also averting her eyes. “I hate walking past this thing.”

Austin grunted. “Don’t look back unless you want to see divine buttocks. Anyway, this is the temple, right up these steps.”

Laurel shrubs surrounded the entrance to the temple. They were somehow growing a variety of medicinal berries all on one plant, which was odd for a few reasons. Besides the obvious, Sitrus berries weren’t really in season anymore, but these laurels had them ripe for picking.

“Those are a gift from Demeter,” Kayla explained, noting Will’s interest. “Dad did her a favor once. I think it was making the sun stay out longer during the summer, but I’m not sure.”

Will snorted, shaking his head. “I doubt that.”

“No, Dad does some weird stuff for weird things. You’d think he would have asked for more, but I guess he really liked these laurels,” Kayla said casually. “Bit of a missed opportunity if you ask me.”

Will let it slide. He was ready to accept anything at this point. His dad was the reason why there was more daylight during the summer? Sure.

The inside of the temple was pristine.  Unlike the other temples that Will had been to, this one had clear marble floors, engravings that were actually legible, and murals on the wall that depicted Apollo in various scenarios.

One in particular showed Apollo with a woman. Each had their respective Pokémon by their side and a sun and moon behind them. Will recognized Latios flying by Apollo immediately. Beside it was another Pokémon which looked similar but was slightly smaller and more finessed. Together with the sun and moon, Apollo and the woman formed a sort of yin-yang motif.

Past all the murals, another statue of Apollo stood. It was slightly bigger than the last one and fully clothed, thankfully. This Apollo had a canine Pokémon by his side. It’s stoic pose and glinting eyes gave off the impression that it was protecting its master.

“That’s the guardian,” Austin said, pointing at it. “You need to prove yourself before continuing to the actual temple.”

“… It’s a statue.”

Austin rolled his eyes, looking genuinely annoyed for the first time. It was surprising, if only because Will had gotten the impression that Austin was more reserved and less confrontational. “Yeah, obviously. Say your name and that you want to get in. That’ll start the battle.”

Will nodded, looking at the statue again. He wasn’t familiar with this Pokémon. It looked like a Normal-type, but it also had some gem-like indents around its neck. That was indicative of a second typing for sure. He was leaning towards it being a Rock-type.

Cubone didn’t look up for the task. It was in too bad of a mood, presumably from being separated from Nico. Besides, Will didn’t feel comfortable telling Cubone what to do. The Pokémon didn’t really battle in an orthodox way. Truthfully, only Nico really knew how to battle with it.

Psyduck was the runner-up, but Will didn’t exactly feel like looking like a fool today.

“Alright, here we go,” Will said, stepping forward and gripping Hoppip’s PokéBall. The statue stared at him blankly with stone eyes. “My name is Will Solace, and I’m a son of Apollo. I, uh, want to access the temple.”

The statue of the Pokémon instantly lit up with a wispy yellow glow. An ethereal form emerged from it, coalescing into the form of the statue Pokémon on the floor in front of him. It’s bright golden light gave off the distinct feeling of hot sunlight, which was pleasant.

But the pleasant rays didn’t last for long. As the Pokémon touched down on the ground to face Will, it’s golden form turned a harsh orange. The heat it emitted went up tenfold. The pleasantness turned into a brutal savageness.

Again, the ethereal Pokémon changed. This time, it reverted back to its original golden form.

“What’s happening?” Will asked.

Kayla shook her head. “I don’t know. It doesn’t normally do this.”

Despite its flickering forms, the Pokémon remained calm and attentive, waiting for battle.

Shrugging, Will tossed Hoppip from its PokéBall. With a flash of red light, the battle began.

 

* * *

 

 

Nico coughed up a face full of dirt. He wasn’t sure what had just happened. It was as if he had lost control. The shadows stopped being friendly and he no longer felt in his element as they had traveled. Will’s hand had slipped from his and the next thing Nico knew, he was being thrown out of the darkness. He passed out after that.

“Buff, buff!”

Nico looked up. Igglybuff was hovering over him, brown beady eyes full of concern. It poked him with its stub hand.

Nico brushed the Pokémon away, feeling nauseous. As he did so, he noticed that something wasn’t right with his hand. His fingertips were … fading. The remnants of shadow remained on his fingers, making them look dark and wispy, almost as if it was eating away at him.

The sight didn’t make him uneasy. It just made Nico feel distant, as if it was happening to someone else.

Nico shook his head, looking around.

He was on the outskirts of a town, surrounded by tall grass in a meadow. Combees went about their business, flying from flower patch to flower patch. One of the Bug-types buzzed by Nico, looking mildly interested, before turning back around and disappearing into the tall grass again in alarm. The shadow of a Flying-type flashed across the ground a moment later.

The sweet smell of the flowers was starting to make Nico’s nose itch. It was irritating.

_‘Gotta find Will,’_ he thought. _‘And Cubone.’_

Instinctively, he raised his wrist to look at the Monitor. But the thing was broken and currently sitting at the bottom of a trash bin in Will’s room.

Nico cursed, hitting his fist on the ground. Even with a disappearing hand, it hurt to do that. 

“Let’s go then,” Nico said to Igglybuff. The puff looked at him with a confused look, but Nico didn’t stop to see if the Pokémon agreed.

The town up ahead looked tranquil, if not abandoned. But there was a Pokémon Center there, and that was where Nico would be able to find out where Will was. First, he would have to get through these wild Pokémon.

He tried not to think about the fading in his fingers or the fact that they were starting to feel numb.

 

* * *

 

 

Will wiped his hands on his pants, relieved. The guardian conceded, returning back to the statue of itself on the pedestal.

Will knelt down. “Great work, Hoppip. You’re doing so well.”

The Grass-type whirred happily, hovering around the floor tiredly. Even if Will had allowed Hoppip to battle on a daily basis, the battle would have still been difficult for the Pokemon. Considering that the Pokemon really had not seen action in a good while, it was a miracle that everything had gone so well.

Hoppip’s stalling strategy was really getting better, though. The Pokemon was swift and able to fire off Leech Seeds without a hitch. If they kept at it, Will could really invest in a hit and run strategy, kind of like what he wanted to try with Murkrow. It would work better, too, because Hoppip had the natural ability to infiltrate enemy defense –

“Hey, come on. What’re you doing?”

Kayla’s voice cut into Will’s thoughts. Will shook his head, giving Hoppip one last pat on its head.

“C’mon, pal. We’re gonna keep at it after this, okay?”

Will stood back up, looking at the new passageway that had opened up just now. Kayla and Austin were already stepping into the new room.

The deeper part of the temple was naturally lit with rays of light coming in from a series of skylights every few feet. They were dull but effective enough. The marble passageway was covered in a variety of vines and growing plants all along the walls. It made Will feel like he was stepping into an ancient catacomb that hadn’t been touched in thousands of years.

Part of this passageway reminded Will of the one in Old Arbor, where the Terras grunts had forced their way in. There were obvious differences, of course. This one didn’t go underground and wasn’t ready to collapse, for starters, but it definitely had that mystical air to it.

Austin reached down and patted his Sunflora, saying something that Will didn’t catch. In response, the Grass-type’s petals glowed with a warm, sunlight-like light. It was better than the light coming from the skylight.

Just like the one in Old Arbor, the passageway led them to a large, vacant room outlined with pillars and decorated with intricate-looking torches. But the torches weren’t magically on fire. Instead, they sizzled with a weak ember.

“These went out recently,” Will noted. “Do you know what’s wrong, exactly?”

Both Austin and Kayla shook their heads.

“It happened a few days ago, but that’s all we know. It feels wrong, you know?”

“By that, he means that the temple isn’t working,” Kayla explained, shaking her head. She looked impatient at Austin’s vagueness. “There’s signs of it everywhere. The laurels are wilting. The whole temple isn’t full of natural sunlight – and if it is, it’s weak. And as we just found out right now, the torches are out. These things are _always_ supposed to be on!”

Kayla let her arms fall to her side with a desperate sigh.

“We should tell Dad, but he isn’t here. He’s not even answering our prayers or anything.”

“Let’s calm down,” Will said, patting her on the shoulder. “Breathe, okay? Everything’s gonna be alright.”

Kayla looked unconvinced but nodded anyway. She stepped to the side, looking at the walls with mild interest.

Will turned back to the rest of the chamber. Sunflora’s light wasn’t enough to illuminate the whole room, but Will knew that there had to be some sort of altar here, just like in the other temple.

Hoppip landed on his head as Will continued to think.

“Austin, can I borrow Sunflora?”

“Hm? Oh, sure. Go ahead,” Austin replied.

At Austin’s encouragement, the Grass-type came to Will’s side, bringing the rest of the room out of the darkness. The altar came into view, holding a small stone on a pedestal. It was the exact set up of the Old Arbor temple.

Upon closer inspection, there wasn’t anything special about the stone. It was translucent, but looked dull and glossy. Almost like a cheap silicon marble.

_‘What is it about these things that make them special?’_ Will thought. _‘Legendaries draw power from them, right?’_

But this thing wasn’t anything like what Nico described as Ho-Oh’s feather or even like the stolen small red stone from the Old Arbor temple. This was … just a stone.

“I think I found the problem, guys,” Will said.

 

* * *

 

Nico’s eye twitched. It was all he could do to keep himself from ditching Igglybuff on the side of the route. The Pokemon tugged at his pants leg once again, whining as Nico walked.

“Igglybuff!” it cried out, letting itself get dragged across the ground. Its eyes were big and pleading.

Nico continued to ignore the Pokemon, not knowing what to do. He was beginning to feel desperate.

He could take on intense, brutal battles against strong Pokémon. He could take on three days of rough travel up a treacherous, cursed mountain. He could hold his own against a rogue Legendary set on frying him with bolts of lightning.

The one thing he couldn’t seem to deal with was being alone with Igglybuff. It had never really happened before – not for long periods of time, at least. And now that it _was_ happening, Nico would rather do Mount Othrys again than _this._

Nico didn’t know how to take care of Igglybuff. Will knew Igglybuff’s wants and needs so well, Nico never knew the thing was so high maintenance.

He was so used to Cubone’s self-sufficient and silent companionship, he had never considered himself _inexperienced_ at taking care of Pokémon. Boy, was he wrong.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Nico spotted the familiar red roof of the Pokémon Center. Slowly, Nico started walking towards it.

The double glass doors slid open, blasting Nico with cool, citrusy scented air. Nurse Joy immediately greeted him when he entered.

“Hello, and welcome to the Pokémon Center! Can I help you with anything?” she said with a small bow and a smile.

“I need to use the phone or a Monitor,” Nico said.

“Of course,” Nurse Joy said. Her smile faltered when she saw Igglybuff dragging itself across the ground, hanging onto Nico’s shoe. “Is everything alright? Your Igglybuff seems to be in distress.”

“Uh, yeah,” Nico said awkwardly. “I’m … not really sure what to do.”

Nurse Joy smiled, nodding in understanding. “Yes, a first Pokémon can be challenging. Allow me to help you. When your Pokémon gets injured, please bring it to a Pokémon Center like this one!”

Nurse Joy’s advice became background noise as Nico lost focus. This was humiliating – he wasn’t a first-time trainer, and he _really_ didn’t need to listen to advice that was normally given to twelve-year-old kids.

“We heal your Pokémon for free, but you can also buy Potions for use out on the field,” Nurse Joy finished. Behind her, a Chansey wheeled in Igglybuff on a trolley. Nico didn’t even realize the Pokémon had left his side. “Any questions?”

Figuring that he would be wasting his time trying to correct Nurse Joy and then having to explain his whole situation, Nico simply said, “No, but can I use something to call a – a friend?”

“Of course,” Nurse Joy said again. “The computer is to the right.”

Nico gave a brief nod as Igglybuff jumped back down to the floor. Remembering that Will always insisted on going out of his way to be nice to the PokéCenter staff, Nico turned around and gave a quick “thanks”. Nurse Joy bowed again, smiling.

The computer had a variety of options to choose from, including Pokémon and Item Storage. Nico picked “Make a Call” and swiped his Trainer ID when the screen said so. A loading bar and a haiku appeared on the screen.

 

“Please wait for a sec,

While we load all of your things.

A moment to breathe.”

 

 A list of contacts that he had collected from his old monitor appeared on the screen. Without hesitation, Nico selected Hazel’s and dialed. The computer flashed “calling … please wait” as the call tried to go through. Hazel didn’t pick up.

Nico tried again but to no avail. Feeling slightly annoyed, he called Jason. He didn’t pick up, either.

_‘Not good,’_ Nico thought, feeling anxious. Why did he _still_ not have Will’s number on here?

Igglybuff hopped onto the console and began jabbing numbers in. Before Nico could stop it, Igglybuff finished inputting a full number.

Nico stared at the number before looking at Igglybuff.

“This better not be a random number.”

The Pokémon shook its head with a glowing smile, proud of its work. Nico dialed it and waited for the call to go through.

“Calling the Helorus Daycare, how can we help?” Will’s mom said.

Nico froze, his mind pulling a blank. He gave Igglybuff a frown.

“Uh, hi … Ms. Solace,” Nico said awkwardly.

She didn’t immediately respond, which made Nico realize that she didn’t know who was calling in the first place. He cursed himself.

“Oh, Nico! What’s the matter? Is everything okay? Where’s Will?” she said in rapid succession, though she didn’t sound worried. Even so, Nico still had a hard time forming words.

“Will’s … fine! He’s just, uh … he’s gone to go and do something,” Nico said lamely. “I, uh … I’m just calling because I … lost something and I was wondering if I left it?”

That was smooth.

“Well, what did you lose?”

Nico paused. Technically, he _did_ lose Will, but he couldn’t tell her that.

“I’m not sure. I just feel like something’s missing,” he said, hoping that she would take it. If she had picked up that something was wrong, she didn’t say it. Instead, Will’s mom continued to talk casually.

“Well, I’ll see if there’s anything laying around and I’ll give you a call back if I find it.”

“Thanks, I gotta go,” Nico said quickly before ending the call.

Super smooth. The last thing he needed was to make her worry, but it was too late for that now. Nico made a mental note to get Will to call her when he finally found him. Whenever that happened.

Feeling disappointed and slightly irritated with the world, Nico walked out of the Pokémon Center and into the town. Igglybuff followed him, and for a second Nico thought that the Pokémon had gotten over its little temper tantrum. They made it a few feet away from the PokéCenter, past a group of Sunkern, when the puff’s whining began again.

“What do you want?” Nico sighed, looking down at the Pokémon. Igglybuff didn’t give him a straight answer. It pantomimed and gestured, but Nico couldn’t make heads or tails of it. Gods, he really needed Will.

Wherever Will had landed, somehow, Nico knew that he was safe. It was just a matter of finding him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	27. Oddities

The orb sat in Will’s hand, cold and kind of pathetic looking. It was weightless and hollow, almost feather-light in his palm. Beside him, Kayla and Austin looked at the stone with clear confusion on their faces.

“What is that?” Austin asked. “I mean, what’s it do?”

“It’s like a power source,” Will said. “At least, that’s what I think it’s supposed to be. But this looks like it’s run dry or something. Is that even possible?”

Neither Kayla nor Austin had an answer. Maybe it was their age that made him think it, but Will was ninety percent sure they knew even less about this kind of stuff than he did. That was saying something, considering how Will had lived his whole life without knowing about mythical stuff.

His siblings certainly knew a lot less than they had originally let on back at the inn.

Kayla sighed, tapping her foot impatiently. She looked at a loss for words, and Will got the distinct impression that she hadn’t planned this far ahead.

“You can’t fix it yourself,” Will said, replacing the orb on the altar. “Let’s get somebody more experienced. I know a few people. It’s going to be alright.”

Behind them, Cubone growled in the direction of the hallway. Will was surprised to hear the sound of footsteps and laughter in the distance, echoing across the halls.

“Do people come here often?” he asked.

Austin shook his head. “No. It’s just us.”

Will bit his lip. It had to be Terras, unless Apollo was blessing them with a well-timed appearance in the temple. That would be lucky, but luck wasn’t really on his side lately.

“Okay, get behind the table and get rid of that light,” Will said, dropping his voice to a whisper. Before Kayla could ask why, Will added, “Trust me.”

Kayla nodded reluctantly before the pair disappeared under the table. Austin recalled Sunflora, making the room dark in an instant. Only the light from the passageway was left.

“Cubone, come on,” Will said, dropping to his knee beside the Pokémon. “Now’s not the time for a fight.”

Cubone ignored him, growling even more and gripping its bone club tightly. Will placed a hand on top of the Pokémon’s head.

“Listen, buddy. I know you want to beat them up, but we need to regroup with Nico first, okay? We can’t do that if we get caught.”

That did the trick. Cubone’s grip lessened reluctantly as the Pokémon nodded. The Pokémon pushed Will behind the altar until they were both out of sight. As the footsteps got closer, Cubone stood as close to the corner of the altar as possible, ready to defend them if need be.

“Thanks, Cubone,” Will muttered.

Will was able to make out at least three people approaching, but he couldn’t be sure. The fourth set of lumbering footsteps was definitely a Pokémon, though.

“This job is a cinch!” the first voice said, gloating. “If only they were _all_ like this!”

“No explosives, no battles – it’s the easiest raid yet!” another voice cheered. “This god or whatever is a wuss.”

Will felt Austin move slightly. He was put off by the comment, no doubt.

A third voice spoke, more cautious and serious than the others. “The relic is up ahead. Stop joking around and get the case ready. Tangrowth, guard the entrance.”

Will heard vines slide along the stone floor, ingraining themselves at the entrance to the chamber.

The other two voices gave dismissive quips as they stopped at the center of the room. They were so close now.

An artificial light filled the room, casting hard shadows across the walls on front of them, along with two silhouettes. Austin and Kayla sunk lower against the altar as the shadows got closer. Will was really starting to regret choosing this hiding spot. But the altar was tall enough to keep them hidden from view, unless one of the grunts decided to lean over the table.

Will held his breath.

A metal clunk resonated across the chamber as they placed a case on the altar. Suddenly, the grunts stopped.

“Hey, what’s wrong with it?” the second voice said.

“What?”

“Look at it. The thing’s broke.”

Will watched as the silhouettes bickered over the orb, which they were tossing around as they tried to see what was wrong.

“Isn’t this it?”

“Soul Dew doesn’t feel like that,” the third voice said sternly. “It’s identical to the one from the moon temple. This thing … it doesn’t feel powerful. You know what I mean.”

“It’s dead.”

A silence fell as the grunts suddenly froze. Their cheery mood petered out. They all seemed to be thinking the same thing.

“She’s not going to like this. Not one bit.”

Will frowned. His immediate impression was that _Gaea_ was behind the orb’s dull appearance. If she was after these things, then she had to be getting some use out of them. But if the grunt’s reactions were anything to go by, then she wasn’t involved at all.

_‘Did something else take the energy source?’_ Will wondered. _‘What other primordial deity would do that, though? There couldn’t_ be _another one, could there?’_

The thought made Will’s heart sink.

“She doesn’t have to know. We can … we can say that the Soul Dew was missing. Or something.”

“That won’t make a difference! Different bait, same Carvanha.”

The room became shrouded in an orange, intense light. It seemed to be coming from the stone, but Will couldn’t risk looking up.

“What the –“

Suddenly, the light turned into a hot flash of light which temporarily blinded everyone. Will’s eyes burned a little. Apparently being in direct line of sight hurt even more, because the grunts immediately retreated from the room, cursing in pain. The stone fell onto the altar with a clatter.

Will peeked over the altar. The Soul Dew was glowing with an intense molten lava color, almost like a miniature sun.

“The god, he’s here!” one of the grunts yelped. Before Will could really see what was happening with them, the grunts and the Tangrowth disappeared down the corridor and out of sight. He waited a moment, listening to their fading panicked shuffling. Once they disappeared for good, Will gave the all-clear.

Immediately, Kayla and Austin’s heads popped up over the altar. They both stared at the orb sitting on the altar, where the grunt had dropped it in surprise.

The orb glowed brilliantly for only a few more seconds. It sputtered out a few more waves of heat before petering out, leaving them in the dark again.

The color and intensity of the light sort of felt like the transformation that the guardian had gone through. It didn’t feel right – it was raw and wild. There was no way Apollo had suddenly breathed life into the orb, like the grunts assumed. This was something else.

“What’s going on?” Will muttered, looking at the spot where the orb was through the darkness.

 

* * *

 

 

Nico hung his head low, moving through town and keeping to himself. Ever since he got to Florentia, he had the distinct feeling that someone was watching him. The first time was when he thought he saw a shadow figure out of the corner of his eye in the forest. Ever since he left the Pokémon Center, it felt like random strangers were gawking at him.

Maybe he was being paranoid, but he _knew_ it wasn’t just because he was new to town. There had to be a reason.

Nico rounded a corner and slumped against the wall of a house. He was tired – and shadow-traveling didn’t do him any favors. Part of him wanted to try again. At the very least, he needed to get back to Helorus and then come up with a plan from there. They had left the Lustrous Orb at the Daycare, after all. If he could make a return trip, he could around the region and try and find Will.

Nico sighed, unwrapping the bandaging on his hands.

His fingers had faded even more and the shadowy rings around them had grown stronger. But he could still _feel_ his fingers there. It was almost like they were becoming invisible rather than disappearing.

Cautiously, Nico held out his hand to a nearby shadow. He was afraid that if he tried shadow-traveling again, he might disappear entirely. He had no control the last time, and it was probably a miracle that he got spit out before something worse could happen. His confidence waning, Nico pulled his hand back towards himself.

Resigned and angry at himself, Nico rewrapped his fingers and looked out into the distance, past the city limits. Florentia was excessively flowery. Its green meadows were speckled with plant life, including some unruly looking plants that stood out like a sore thumb among the delicate flowers. Nico was no plant expert, but they looked like they were growing aggressively, spreading their vines through the ground and choking out the other plants nearby.

But Nico was more interested in something else in the distance. Above the dense forest which formed a quarter mile away was the top of a building, peaking out from the canopy. It looked like a dome.

Nurse Joy had warned him about visiting that building before he left the Pokémon Center. She said it was an ancient, abandoned structure that was now in ruins. She discouraged training there because Pokémon were scarce around the area and there wasn’t much to do there anyway. It was more of a safety hazard than anything. According to her, it was a place of worship in the old times.

It was obviously a temple. Anything mythical could only help Nico right now. Maybe he could find something useful there.

Igglybuff popped out of Nico’s jacket, humming its own name. It was the only way that Nico had managed to keep the Pokémon calm. It was kind of weird at first, but Nico quickly got over it.

Feeling like he had stopped for too long, Nico looked over his shoulder before walking down the path to the temple. He walked down set of stone steps that marked the end of town and stepped onto the dirt road.

It didn’t take long to reach the edge of the forest, but he stopped for a few minutes to avoid getting stuck in a battle with a youngster trainer who was waiting to ambush unsuspecting trainers.

“Buff,” Igglybuff said, pointing towards the temple in the distance. Despite the thick foliage, the path was fairly clear. The temple stood in the center of clearing along the side of a cliff, noticeably out of place in the middle of all this green. The building was made out of dark grey stone and marked with small designs cut into the edges of the building.

It was a lot bigger than Nico had anticipated. Most of its size was hidden by the trees on the outside. Nico walked up the steps, past the intricate designs and into the building

“Pretty high-end temple,” Nico said, impressed.

The temple was kind of similar to Hades’ temple, but very different at the same time. They shared certain architectural aspects, but a lot of it was unique. For one, a lot of the decorations were jewel- and gold-encrusted around the edges. There were a few spots where the precious metals had been scraped off certain parts of the walls, but the rest was untouched.

Even past the obvious glamor, there were smaller details that Nico couldn’t help but notice. For one, whoever built this temple really liked archways, which acted as supports for the building. All the other temples had used columns and pillars. And unlike the others, this temple was made of stone, not marble.

The vague similarity to Hades’ palace in the Underworld made Nico feel a tightness in his chest. If it _was_ his dad’s temple, then maybe Nico could talk to him. That’s all he needed, really – some good fatherly guidance from his lord-of-the-dead father.

The roof was a raised dome to accommodate for an enormous statue of a Pokémon at the edge of the temple. Despite its great size, the statue still sat on a pedestal with words inscribed on them. Nico couldn’t read them, though. They didn’t look like the language from the other temples.

Igglybuff tightened its grip on Nico’s jacket as they stopped at the foot of the statue. The draconic Pokémon stood on hind legs and towered over them with large claws. The paint slowly chipped off, but Nico could spot a few flecks of red paint here and there.

“This has to be dad’s Legendary,” Nico muttered. Igglybuff didn’t reply back. “Groudon.”

He waited for a moment, hoping that something would happen. But after a few minutes of silence, nothing appeared.

“Dad?” Nico said, his voice echoing through the hall.

Again, nothing. He didn’t even feel a single soul anywhere near the temple, other than Igglybuff.

Igglybuff patted Nico on the shoulder, pointing in the direction of the door.

“Buff,” the Pokémon said quietly.

“We can’t leave now,” Nico said, hoping that he was interpreting the Pokémon’s mimes right. “There’s gotta be something. This temple can’t just have nothing.”

He didn’t want to admit to himself that this place was nothing more than just a temple. He glanced behind the statue, noticing a corridor that led outside. Nico followed it.

His footsteps echoed as he walked through the corridor and out into the open. He stood in some kind of open-space pavilion, with nothing but an elevated platform with archways. It looked like a battlefield, but Nico couldn’t be sure. The platform was enormous – stretching out across the open space like that, it was probably four times the size of a normal battlefield. On the other end was another statue of Groudon, sheltered by a smaller building.

Nico stepped onto the platform, looking for a sign of _something_. Truthfully, he didn’t know what he was looking for. There was nobody else here. And yet, the parts of his fingers that had faded were tingling now. Painfully.

“There’s gotta be something here,” Nico said again, as if saying it would make it happen.

 

* * *

 

 

They were all still puzzled by what happened in the temple. The Soul Dew sat in Will’s pocket, despite the fact that it could still burst into flames at any moment. But Will refused to let Kayla or Austin carry it and risk them getting hurt.

With no idea how to proceed, they retreated back to town. More specifically, they retreated to the cabin that Kayla and Austin lived in in the center of town.

“It’s not much, but … you know,” Austin said, opening the front door of the cabin. It was modest and quaint but clearly meant for more than two people.

“Be right back,” Kayla said, disappearing into a side room. Austin followed her, leaving Will alone with Cubone.

The Pokémon stood in a corner looking disinterested and distant, which worried Will a little.

_‘Cubone’s always kept to itself,_ ’ Will reminded himself.

The cabin was interesting, to say the least. It was cluttered in an organized sort of way – nothing in its place, but also not a mess. It reminded Will of his own room.

The shelves were haphazardly stacked with books ranging from medicinal plants and berries to medical books, with no particular order to them. Crates of Pokémon medicine sat underneath tables and beside shelves. Potted plants with some medicinal uses sat by every window. It felt like an apothecary of sorts. Or a makeshift Pokémon Center.

Will paced the room, tapping his finger against his leg as he walked. He felt uneasy and very alone. Kayla and Austin were good company, but …

Will sighed, running his hands through his hair. They were depending on him to show them the solution to their problem, but Will wasn’t sure he could do that for them. He wasn’t sure he could do anything, really. What was he supposed to do with this stone, anyway?

Will set the Soul Dew on the nearest table and took a seat, taking interest on the wall in front of him, which had a variety of blueprints tacked onto a cork board. They looked like blueprints for a Gym that never got made.

Austin returned with his hands in his pockets.

“Um, if you want, you’re welcome to stay. Those beds were, uh … well, they’re unoccupied,” Austin said. “It’s just us.”

He seemed resentful and put down by it. It had to be a lonely life out here.

“Thanks for the offer,” Will said gently. “Maybe after I finish what I have to do.”

Austin grinned at that.

“Well, I’ll try and help you as much as I can. I’m sure Kayla will, too. It’s cool to have you here. We’ve been kinda aimless for a while. Where do you have to go?”

“Florentia,” Will said. “I think that’s my best bet.”

“Oh. Well, that’s pretty far from here,” Austin said less enthusiastically. “But I mean, if you need us to come with you …”

“You don’t have to come, Austin. You can stay here – you’ve got responsibilities to deal with, right?”

Austin nodded thoughtfully. “Well, yeah. There’s no Pokémon Center here because this cabin kinda acts like one for the town. But it can work without us here, because people can just grab a Full Restore – everyone in town is pretty reliable –“

“Austin, it’s fine,” Will said. “How about this – if I ever need a supply drop or something, I’ll give you a call. You have a Flying-type, right?”

Austin nodded again.

“See? There’s been too many times when we’re trapped in a rut. Now I know I have someone who’s got my back.”

Will patted Austin on the back encouragingly.

Behind them, Kayla walked into the room.

“Okay, here’s this,” Kayla said, carrying a Monitor with her. She set it down in front of Will. “You looked like your Monitor was killing you back at the inn.”

“Thanks,” Will said. “Give me a minute, though. I still have to get stuff off of mine.”

It took a while, but he was finally able to pull up Jason’s number.

Jason didn’t pick up, so Will sent a message instead. Almost immediately, he got a reply back.

“Will, glad you’re safe. Can’t talk. Stay out of the temples, they’re dangerous,” Will read, disappointed at how short and useless the message was. “Well, that doesn’t help.”

He glanced at Kayla and Austin before trying the other numbers, hoping to have better luck.

 

* * *

 

 

Nico looked over the statue of Groudon one more time. It looked like a proper shrine, unlike the other statue. The center of its chest had an oddly shaped hole in the middle.

“Something goes here,” Nico said.

He looked around the shrine, trying to find a similarly shaped stone among the crumbled bits of debris on the floor. He brushed several layers of dust and dirt, revealing a dirty chunk of gold. It gleamed brightly and unnaturally, almost like it was a special kind of metal.

It was almost like that bronze stuff that pumped through the pipes in Lavarge, except solid. It had that same sort of glean, anyway.

Nico dusted the piece off, noting it’s odd shape.

“This is it,” he muttered.

He replaced the gold piece into the Groudon statue and waited. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting – maybe the statue to move aside, or to reveal a hidden trap door in the ground.

Nothing.

Nico cursed, kicking aside a chunk of rock.

Suddenly, the ground began to rumble behind him. Nico turned around on the spot.

The ground cracked beneath his feet, and Nico fell on his back as a giant fissure opened up in front of him. A Pokémon emerged from it, it’s body radiating with heat. Out of nowhere, the pain in Nico’s gut seared to an all-time high, burning as intensely as the time his dad gave him Groudon’s blessing.

A strong, ruthless life force overtook Nico’s senses. It had the raw and primal aura of Ho-Oh’s presence, but worse. It definitely radiated death, but mainly it felt like an earth-driven life force.

Nico looked away as the Pokémon started to glow a brilliant and intense white. As the flash of light subsided, realization struck. This was Groudon.

The Pokémon standing before him was almost twice the size of the statue, but it shared the same steely cold stare. It loomed over Nico with a fierce calmness, unmoving yet completely furious. Nico’s head couldn’t wrap around the idea that such a huge Pokémon had just sprung out of the ground.

Igglybuff clutched Nico’s chest, looking both terrified and battle ready at the same time.

Hades was nowhere to be seen, which did little to help Nico’s nerves. He felt too vulnerable.

The Legendary stared at him for several minutes, it’s sharp yellow eyes still and unblinking. It was fixated entirely on Nico. Nico stood up, clutching his stomach. Groudon instilled a fear that felt very similar to Hades’. But it had more to do with the sheer primal power that it radiated than anything. Nonetheless, Nico’s heart was working overtime.

“What’s going on?” Nico said, his words coming out shaky and uneven.

Groudon didn’t react.

With each second, Nico got the impression that Groudon was passing judgment on him. And from the increasingly hostile aura that the Legendary was putting out, he wasn’t getting good marks.

Suddenly, without warning, Groudon’s jaws began to spark a fiery flame. It became bigger and more powerful, crackling with intensity. Nico felt glued to the spot.

_‘Move!’_ Hades’ voice seemed to say in Nico’s head, somehow very physical and real, almost as if his dad was actually saying it to him.

Nico lurched to the side, narrowly avoiding a plume of ash and fire. He clung to Igglybuff tightly as they hit the floor, but didn’t stop to see what happened next. Without a second thought, he broke into a run.

Groudon bellowed with a powerful stomp, creating shockwaves across the pavilion. Suddenly, the perimeter of the pavilion burst into pillars of hot rock, trapping them inside.

Nico skittered to a halt, nearly crashing into one of the pillars. There wasn’t a good way out. The gaps between the pillars were too narrow, and trying to squeeze between them would burn his arms.

He turned to face Groudon, which glowered down at him as it stomped forward.

_‘Why is it attacking?’_ Nico thought. They were on the same team, right? It didn’t make sense for Groudon to be hostile.

For a moment, Nico wondered if Groudon had become corrupted by Gaea. But the Pokémon didn’t look corrupted. It’s red and black body were missing the sinister, chaotic markings that had filled Ho-Oh’s body back on Othrys. The Pokémon had to be doing this on its own free will.

As the Legendary approached, Nico reached for Murkrow’s PokéBall, only to remember that he had sent the Pokémon to look for somebody back in Bellus and the surrounding towns. Nico cursed, putting his hand on Aron’s PokéBall instead.

Aron was so low leveled … sending it out was asking for trouble. But it was his only choice.

In a flash of red light, Aron appeared before him cheerily. Its excitement was short-lived as Groudon narrowly missed another Flamethrower attack. Aron grunted, looking at the Legendary in surprise.

Before Nico could give a command or even think of what to do, the Pokémon barreled towards Groudon.

“Aron!” Nico shouted, running forward. But it was too late.

Groudon pulled up a piece of stone floor with its claws and threw it at the small Steel-type. Nico flinched as the chunk of stone hit its mark. Aron skidded to a halt and tucked in its head, forming a reflective barrier in front of it.

The Pokémon used Protect just as the rock made impact. The barrier shattered to pieces as it crashed into the rock, which crumbled to dust.

Nico knew better than to think this could end well. No matter how well Aron could defend, the Pokémon had very little attacking power.

_‘I have to get Aron back,’_ he thought. _‘It’s too risky.’_

Groudon sent another volley of rocks towards Aron. Aron shrunk into the ground, cowering as the Protect-barrier it summoned became weaker and weaker with each subsequent hit.

Nico picked up a baseball-sized rock which had landed at his feet and chucked it, hoping to distract the Legendary. The stone clinked off of its hide harmlessly, but it still got the Pokémon’s attention. Groudon roared as it stomped on the ground.

Before Nico could realize it, the Legendary created a fissure beneath his feet that began rumbling. He only had time to slightly pivot to the side before flames erupted from it.

The intensity of the heat seared the side of his arm, but Nico didn’t feel any pain. It probably only caught Nico’s sleeve.

Groudon’s jaws became surrounded by fire again, and it was all Nico could do to raise his arm. In his daze, he was only vaguely aware that a large portion of his jacket was smoking and burnt black. He held Igglybuff tight.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aron running towards him with a look of sudden panic and fervor.

Maybe the fire from Groudon’s attack was reflecting off of Aron in a weird way, or maybe Nico’s eyes were tricking him, but it looked like Aron was shining white. It was the last thing that Nico was able to process before Groudon’s flames erupted from its jaws and shot towards Nico.

Nico felt the heat of the flames shoot towards him, but they never came. The seemed to bounce off harmlessly a few feet in front of him.

Nico tore his eyes away from the fire to see a short but bulky Pokémon with steel plating stood in front of him. It took a defensive stance, creating a reflective dome around them with Protect.

The Pokémon had evolved into a Lairon mid-fight.

The Pokémon in front of him grunted, it’s joyful demeanor gone. Instead it looked steadfast and determined, bracing itself against Groudon’s attack. The flames persisted for a minute before stopping suddenly. From within the barrier, Nico watched as Groudon’s attention turned away from them.

Two canine Pokemon jumped and snarled at Groudon’s hide, attacking with bared fangs and claws. Three Skarmory with riders on their back circled around the Legendary.

The Skarmory attacked relentlessly in an organized pattern, with their riders wielding swords and wearing armor. They seemed to annoy Groudon more than anything.

Groudon tried to attack, but it couldn’t land any of its attacks on the Skarmory. While they were slow, their methodical movements and attacks made it hard for Groudon to find a chance to attack properly. Soon, the Legendary growled in annoyance.

The fissure beneath its feet opened up again, releasing hot embers and molten rock. The Legendary sunk into the ground with a final roar before the fissure closed again, leaving the pavilion entirely empty. The hot pillars were already starting to cool quickly without Groudon’s power.

A deafening silence rung through Nico’s ears as the barrier came down. Lairon dropped to the ground, exhausted from using Protect for so long.

Nico felt exhausted, and the pain in his body lessened to a dull thud. But no matter how much he wanted to pass out, he couldn’t. He wasn’t alone.

The Skarmory landed on the ground and fell into rank, lining up perfectly in the center of the pavilion. Their riders dismounted but didn’t acknowledge Nico’s presence. Instead, they just stood at attention. The canine Pokémon fell back to the side of a fourth person that Nico hadn’t noticed. She jogged towards Nico, her purple cloak and white skirt flowed behind her. Her face didn’t look friendly, and Nico had half the mind to wonder if she was a part of Terras.

He didn’t let his guard down as she approached.

“Who are you?” Nico said, hoping to sound less vulnerable and tired than he felt. Igglybuff peaked out of Nico’s jacket as he said it. He probably didn’t look very intimidating anymore.

“You’re hurt,” she said, ignoring his question. Her two Pokémon, which Nico could now tell were Houndoom, stood at her side with their ears perked.

There was something unique about these Pokémon – their horns and backside bone markings were made up of gold or silver, respectively. Their eyes were glossy and glowed the color of their respective metals, too. They weren’t ordinary Houndoom.

Nico unhooked his PokéBall and called Lairon back before replying.

“Who are you?” he repeated.

“Not someone who will cause you trouble,” she said with open hands, though her expression didn’t soften, “if you cooperate.”

That was a threat if Nico had ever heard one. He took a step back.

“My name is Reyna. I can help you, but I need you to cooperate. We’re working on thin ice.”

“You’re not very convincing, you know that?” Nico said, taking another step back. He didn’t have many options. He wouldn’t get very far, and he wasn’t feeling particularly fast right now. There was no way he could out run a Houndoom. As risky as it was, he tried calling out to the shadows from one of the pillars that Groudon had made. At first, nothing. But then, just as Nico was about to give up, he felt it.

The shadows replied back, beckoning him to jump in. He checked that Igglybuff was still tucked securely in his aviator jacket.

“I’ve given you no reason to trust me other than the fact that I saved your life,” Reyna said. “But to be fully transparent, I and a few others have been following you ever since you arrived here. I’ve had multiple opportunities to do something, but I haven’t. My intentions are pure.”

Nico glanced towards the door leading back into the temple, which was the only way out besides shadow-traveling. He didn’t want to risk it if he could avoid it.

“There are fifteen legion members surrounding this temple. You have my word that I will do everything in my power as a leader that no harm will come to you.”

Reyna extended her hand, offering a handshake.

Nico took a breath before sidestepping under the shade of the pillar. As he sunk into the shadows, he saw Reyna turn around to stop the rest of her group from attacking. The two metal-coated Houndoom lurched forward, trying to grab him.

Then the world disappeared into shadow.

At first, Nico felt like he could control the current again. It all felt familiar and under his control.

Almost immediately, the shadows began moving. Igglybuff squirmed in its spot inside his jacket. They moved freely through the shadows for a minute before something lurched them to the side. Nico felt an angered presence suddenly appear out of thin air.

_‘Groudon,’_ he thought. For a second he wondered if the Legendary could shadow travel, too. But the answer was obvious – if Nico could, then the source of his blessing would be able to, too.

As the presence grew in size somewhere below him, Nico lost the feeling of being in control. The shadows became hostile, like waves during high tide. He was stuck in an ocean of darkness as Groudon’s presence lurked beneath him.

Before he could act, Nico felt another force acting. It was so familiar, but Nico couldn’t place a finger on it. It was definitely not a Pokémon’s presence. The force pushed Nico out of the shadows and into the real world.

Nico soon found himself with a face full of grass and fallen leaves, just like in the morning. He felt physically drained and weak.

Igglybuff squirmed out of his jacket, looking shaken. Nico rolled over and sighed, closing his eyes.

“Give me five minutes,” Nico said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things going wrong, weird stuff happening left and right - the world is falling apart :v Poor guys can't catch a break. All Will wants is smooches and cuddles.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	28. Crumbling Efforts

“Everything looks to be okay now. It was just another Seviper and Zangoose face-off,” Jason explained to the officer, who stood attentively. “We should be okay now. I’ll keep a lookout, though.”

“Thank you, Gym Leader,” she said. “Your help is very much appreciated.”

Jason nodded as the officer walked away, leaving him alone with Manectric. A few feet away was a scorch mark where his Pokémon had shot a heavy Thunderbolt attack against an agitated and feral Ursaring. The wild Pokémon had disappeared into the brush unscathed, except for a few singed strips of fur on its back. The Ursaring had left out of frustration than actual injury or fear.

These attacks were becoming a thing. This was the seventh attack by monster Pokémon that he had personally stopped. There were countless others which had caused a few minor injuries. Thankfully no one was seriously hurt, but stronger and more threatening Pokémon were losing it.

The truth about the attacks was becoming harder and harder to hide, and pretty soon the normal world would start to grow suspicious. Jason couldn’t let that happen – it was the last thing they needed. If there was one thing that chaos thrived on, it was fear of the unknown. Not even the communities that were a part of the mythical world knew. Entire villages and towns that were descended from the gods were all under the impression that Olympus was only closed for some celestial, private event. No word on the actual problem.

It had to stay that way, or else the chaos would grow stronger, which would instill even more fear, which led back to more chaos and …

It made Jason’s head hurt. He didn’t like the ancient primordials. They were better when they were slumbering in the pits of Tartarus.

His monitor buzzed in his pocket. It was Reyna.

“I could use some good news,” he said, picking up.

“Jason, I’m sorry I couldn’t contact you sooner. The legion mobilized 12 hours ago, relocating at Florentia,” Reyna said breathlessly, in a hushed voice. “I’ll spare you the details, but Florentia was supposed to be the location of the next big step towards whatever is happening. That idiot, Octavian, convinced half the legion that we needed to stop the event from unfolding.”

“I sent Nico there,” Jason said, his spirits falling. “He didn’t sound any alarms, did he?”

Reyna laughed, but it was dry and bitter. “He phased in using the shadows a mile past our line of guards and scared a legion member half to death in the process. The kid may as well have entered through the front door with a bulls-eye on his chest.”

Not the news Jason wanted to be hearing right now. He should be mortified – which he was – but there were so many other things that he didn’t know where to start.

“He’s okay though, right? You protected him?” Jason said, his grip on his device tightening. This was the last thing he needed – for Nico to make an enemy out of the Legion.

There was a long pause before Reyna spoke again. Her voice was quieter and deathly serious. That was never good.

“He went to Groudon’s temple, Jason. By the time we got to the pavilion, Groudon was there. You know what that looks like to the Legion at a time like this. People fear Groudon. Your friend may have been attacked, but Octavian’s twisted the story so much that the troops are riled up.”

“Reyna,” Jason said. He had an inkling of where this was going.

“Look, Jason, I tried. I tried to get him to come with me. It was the best way to make everyone see that he wasn’t a threat. But he phased through the shadows and left. He ran, and the Legion isn't taking it lightly. I staked my reputation and integrity as a leader on him. I won’t be surprised if my authority will be questioned soon.”

“No, you can’t lose that. Just … just - ”Jason sighed.

“I have to lead the Legion,” Reyna said. “I’m sorry. I’ll do the best I can to stay out of the way. I have to warn you, though. He couldn’t have gotten very far. He was heavily injured and weak. He probably made it a few miles outside of town at most. Whatever miracle you want to pull, do it fast.”

“Reyna, just – “

Something rustled on Reyna’s end. Then there was shuffling and distant talking.

“I have to go, but I’ll keep you updated. Things should have worked out better than they did – maybe we were wrong in keeping the Legion out of this Gaea business. The gods know it’s too late now.”

“No, I think it would have caused more bad than good.”

“Worse than this, Jason?”

Before Jason could answer, Reyna hung up.

Maybe she was right. When these problems started, he had kept it between them. There was no reason to create panic, after all. He went to Mount Othrys alone to try and find a fix. The issue got out of hand, though, and their focus was to keep everything from falling apart so that the prophecy could play out. A big part of that was keeping everything hidden from his own camp. The Legion would never accept a prophecy from outside their own oracles, so it felt easy to just keep them out of it. The only person he could trust was Reyna. But now …

Jason stared at his device, feeling even more tired than he had before. So much for the good news.

Suddenly, his hand shot out a few sparks of electricity that shocked him and short-circuited his monitor. Jason let out a frustrated groan. He wasn’t used to getting shocked, but ever since Olympus closed, he was prone to uncontrollable electric hiccups that stung badly. Sometimes he couldn’t even do anything in regard to his powers. It was a hindrance at best and a deeper, more complicated issue at worst. He had no time to think about it – not when he and six of his friends had to pick up the slack of a dozen sets of Olympians and Legendaries.

When they started, the challenge felt somewhat tricky but manageable. Now it felt like they were using scotch tape in the place of industrial cement glue. It was going to fall apart soon.

He stuffed his monitor back into his pocket, turning to Manectric.

“Keep watch here for a while, okay? Make sure that Ursaring stays away, but be careful. I need to talk to someone.”

 

* * *

 

 

Delos wasn’t warm at all in the early hours of the morning. It was cold and damp, and the fog pooled down into the valley. All of it did little to help how uneasy Will felt inside. He hadn’t gotten much sleep – his head was too cluttered to give it a rest – and Jason’s call had only made things worse.

Some part of him had been hopeful that Nico wasn’t in any trouble. Will had thought up a whole list of things he might have been doing since they split. Ticking off a camp of battle-ready legionaries (Will didn’t even want to start on thinking about _that_ ) wasn’t on that list.

Will fastened the pack on his shoulders as he reached the city limits. He looked back in the direction of Kayla’s and Austin’s cabin.

“I’ll be back soon,” Will said aloud to the open air. “Stay safe.”

Beside him, Cubone bumped into his leg unwittingly. The Pokémon was still drowsy with sleep but refused to be carried.

“Last chance, pal,” Will said.

Cubone looked straight ahead, trying to look attentive. But the Pokémon’s eyes drooped and its grip on its bone club was loose. The Pokémon was stubborn, to say the least.

Will shrugged, continuing down the dirt road of Route 23. “More room for Hoppip, then.”

The Grass-type on Will’s shoulder fluttered, looking wide awake and happy. Besides wanting to spend more time with Hoppip, Will thought that the Pokémon would bring some cheer today. Someone had to, and it wasn’t going to be Cubone. Hoppip's bubbly cheeriness was a good replacement for the sun on this dreary morning.

Will wanted to get to the Regional Cross-Station. It was a long way away from here, but the network of trains would help him get to Florentia faster. At least, that’s what he got from the region map in his back pocket. Fifteen minutes wasn’t nearly enough to look at every possible way to Florentia.

_‘There’s no way Nico is still there,’_ Will thought. _‘But it’s the only place I’ve got.’_

Hopefully, this was the right move. Nico could literally be anywhere in Olympia. The odds of him hanging around Florentia weren’t that great. But he was stubborn, so there was no doubt that he’d leave just like that. Nico was probably hanging around planning the next move. Will hoped to catch him before jumping head first into that mess.

 

~

 

The fog was starting to clear out now that the sun was out. They weren’t too far along, but they were making good progress.

Cubone scurried ahead, looking more awake and energetic. The Pokémon seemed focused on something, but Will wasn’t really sure what.

“What’s up, Cubone?” he asked.

The Pokémon didn’t reply, which was becoming a thing now. Instead, it held its head high, trying to find something. Will looked around. The only thing around them was the mountainside, some short grass, and a cluster of large boulders off by the wayside of the road to their left.

Still, Cubone perked up, sniffing the air. Then, the Pokémon broke into a run towards the boulders.

“Hey – Cubone!” Will called out.

He watched the Pokémon dip under the grasses, practically hugging the ground on all fours as it ran, almost stealthily. Will clapped his hands to his side, following the Pokémon into the damp grass reluctantly.

“We’re just wasting time,” Will told Hoppip, who whirred its propellers in response.

In the short distance it took for him to catch up to Cubone, his shoes had become soaked in the morning dew that clung to the grass. Will sighed.

Cubone pressed itself up against the rocks, stopping suddenly. Will opened his mouth to say something but luckily didn’t. Someone on the other side of the boulder started talking.

“We’ve got thirty minutes before we head out again.”

“I’ll start packing up.”

Confused, Will looked over the shortest boulder. It was a stupid move, but he wasn’t thinking. He was operating on a few hours of on-and-off sleep and a few breakfast bars. It took him a minute to take in what he was seeing. The three grunts from the temple were all sitting around the center of a campsite. Their Tangela stood in the far back. Almost immediately, Will ducked back under the boulder.

This was bad, and totally not what they needed right now. There was no way that they’d be able to continue through the route without being seen.

“We have to go around,” Will whispered, almost entirely silently, to Cubone.

The Pokémon met Will’s whisper with its usual silence before ducking under and looking through a gap on the ground, between two of the rocks. Will grumbled in frustration, feeling his heart in his throat. He knew Cubone could completely blow this for them. The Pokémon had been in a fighting mood since yesterday.

“Who had the relics last night?” one of the grunts said.

“Right here. Wish we had the last one.”

The dead Soul Dew felt heavy in Will’s pocket.

“Wait,” Will whispered. “The others … Hey, are you thinking what I’m thinking?"

Cubone only glanced at him for a second before scuttling up the rock and out of sight.

_‘Wait, we are thinking the same thing, right?_ ’ Will wondered as Cubone’s tail disappeared over the boulder. Only time would tell.

Will glanced over again, this time looking for something in particular. He wasn’t sure what the case that the grunts had been carrying in the temple looked like, but it had to be here. He imagined a suitcase that was easy to transport ... maybe with a lock.

He spotted a metal toolbox case sitting a few feet behind the nearest grunt. It wasn’t an easy grab. Will ducked back and waited. It didn’t sound like the grunts had noticed anything yet.

"Where’s Cubone?" Will whispered under his breath.

Hoppip floated towards the top of a rock to see, but Will pulled the Pokemon back down.

"No no," Will muttered.

"I can’t do this anymore," one grunt said. "This isn’t what I signed up for. I’ve got a sick ma to take care of. This stealing god stuff ... I guess it was okay at first, but ... I can’t."

"Don’t you s-"

A loud crack echoed across the camp, silencing the grunts. Somewhere further away, what Will assumed was their Tangrowth began moving around. The sound of dragging tendrils and squishy footsteps came closer.

"What was that?" the first grunt said. He sounded vulnerable and scared.

"Keep your head on," the second grunt said. "It’s just a wild Pokemon, I’m sure."

That was Will’s cue, probably. He still wasn’t sure what Cubone was up to. With Hoppip on his shoulder, he inched up towards the camp. The grunts were all looking the opposite direction, watching Tangrowth as it looked for the source of the noise.

The grass was wet and dewy, making it hard for Will to take steps without making absurdly loud, squeaky footsteps. But Will managed, holding his breath as he slowly snuck towards the edge of the camp.

"You don’t think it’s the god, do you? He hasn’t found us?"

"Don’t be an idiot."

Tangrowth slipped between two of their tents before finding something. It reached down to pick it up with one of its vines.

_‘Almost,’_ Will thought, reaching for the metal box. ‘Just one more step and ...’

With a loud thud, Tangrowth stumbled back. A bone club was lodged between its tendrils, right in the middle of its forehead.

All the grunts stood up in alarm. The furthest two rushed forwards with PokéBalls in hand, but the grunt closest to Will glanced behind him.

Their eyes met as Will’s hands touched the box. Judging from the look of insecurity, he was the one who wasn’t so sure about being a grunt. He couldn’t have been older than Will.

At first, the grunt didn’t say anything. His eyes were full of confusion and he didn’t look like he was having the best time. But as the shock wore off and realization of what was happening set in, the grunt opened his mouth to call out to his lackeys.

"Hoppip," Will said quickly, and the Pokemon on his shoulder blew a small puff of Sleep Powder onto the grunts face.

Reflexively, Will caught the grunt before he fell.

"Seriously reevaluate your life, and uh, I hope your mom gets better," Will said as he set the grunt down. "Don’t do drugs."

"Hey!" the other grunt yelled. This guy looked the part. His outfit was _made_ of greens and browns - even his hair was dyed green.

"Uh, bye! Cubone!" Will said as he grabbed the box and bolted in the other direction. Hopefully, Cubone would be right behind him.

He made it roughly ten feet before a few vines wrapped around his waist and lifted him off the ground, stopping him in his tracks. Tangrowth had focused entirely on Will as the second and third grunt ran toward him.

"Stun Spore, Hoppip," Will said, finding it hard to say words with vines constricting his body.

The Pokemon complied, but the yellow puff of cloud didn’t make it far. A second set of vines waved the cloud away before they could even reach the grunts. It was useless.

_‘Well, I had a good run,’_ Will thought, trying to stop a Tangrowth vine from taking the metal box. He wasn’t even sure that the other relic things were in there. Maybe he was just stealing a screwdriver.

That’d be kinda pathetic.

"Who the hell are you?" the third grunt said.

Hoppip tried to toss out another Stun Spore, but Tangrowth was so close now that it could stop the cloud of spores from even forming.

"Can’t breathe," Will said, pointing at the vines. "Do you mind?"

Before either of the two grunts could respond, Tangrowth fell over with a loud and dull thwack. Cubone stood over the Pokémon’s body, taking its bone back.

Instantly, the vines wrapped around Will went limp, dropping him from its grip. The grunts lunged forward, but they met a thick yellow cloud that stopped them in their tracks. The Stun Spore took effect immediately, paralyzing the grunts as they fell to the ground.

Will coughed but didn’t breathe the spores in. He waited until they dissipated before saying anything.

"Gods, Hoppip. You went a little overboard. I think they’ll be okay, though," Will noted, looking over the grunts. "Oh, good job Cubone."

The Pokemon nodded, its eyes set on the metal box.

Will looked back at the camp, where the first grunt was still knocked out. He would probably wake up before the other two regained mobility. Or something. Stun Spore wasn’t exactly dangerous, but Will wasn’t an expert on Pokemon moves used on humans. He wanted to leave a few Cheri Berries just in case - not that he knew if they had an effect on people.

But before he did that, there was something he wanted to check. He picked up the metal case at his feet.

“A year ago, I would never have even thought about jumping a load of goons for a box,” Will said.

“Hoppip,” the Grass-type replied. It tapped the bronze clasp in an attempt to open it, but its stubby hand couldn’t fully reach it.

Will did it instead, opening the top and revealing three other relics, haphazardly placed at the bottom, where they rolled around freely.

“Figures that these grunts wouldn’t be a little more careful,” Will commented.

“Cu,” Cubone said dryly, pointing at Will’s pocket, where the Soul Dew was.

“Touché.”

The first orb was a rich green orb with cracked yellow-white accents across the middle. It was about the size of Will’s fist – easily the biggest of any of the relics. It looked like a jade stone, and it made Will’s hair stand up when he tried grabbing it. Definitely belonged to a Legendary that used electricity. The second was pretty similar, except it was a deep sea blue color instead of green, and it was unusually cold.  Finally, a small, translucent orb with a dark purple inside rolled around in a corner. Will picked it up.

It looked like the orb had trapped part of the night sky inside of it. This had to be that other Soul Dew. Side by side, they were virtually identical in size. The only problem was that the Apollo-Soul Dew was dull and opaque.

Will rolled the orb between his fingers. So, the other Soul Dew was confirmed dead. Check. That part had been solved long ago. But the question was still why – something that he couldn’t answer, even with these other relics here.

“At least Gaia can’t have these,” Will said finally, replacing the Soul Dew back into the metal box.

There was something really satisfying about the fact that Will had, in even a small way, dealt with the issue. Maybe only ninety-nine percent of the world would be destroyed instead of in its entirety. Nice.

Beside him, the sleeping grunt began to wake up. He coughed weakly but was very much still on high alert. Will didn’t stop to find out if he was friendly. Securing the clasp back into place, he grabbed Cubone and ran down Route 22.

The grunt yelled in the distance as Will rounded the corner of some trees and wild foliage. The camp was out of sight now, but that didn’t mean the grunt wouldn’t follow him. Will took a deep breath before continuing to run.

The landscape changed from mountainside to a great temperate forest between the valley, but he didn’t stop. He ran by a trainer without so much as a flash of his wrist, where he had tied his breeder’s bandana to earlier in the morning.

After a while, he slowed to a jog and finally to a fast walk.

_‘Thanks, long hours working at the Daycare,’_ Will thought between breaths. _‘And fast Pokémon that I had to chase after.’_

It was noon before Will allowed himself the chance to actually stop and take a break. The sun hung low today, never getting the chance to warm the valley up because of the cloud cover. That was probably for the better. Will would have died two miles ago if it was hot.

“Almost there,” Will said, looking down at his map under the shade of a tall evergreen. “All that’s left is … six miles.”

He let out a heavy sigh. Transportation was so ineffective out here. At least the towns back home were close to each other. He really needed to invest in a bike.

 

* * *

 

 

Nico had a vague, hazy recollection of things that had happened in the last few… hours? He couldn’t be sure. But he felt too tired to do anything. His mind was slow. His eyes felt heavy. A dull ache in his chest made it hard to breathe.

Once or twice, he knew that Igglybuff was poking and prodding him. It was annoying. He would have swatted the Pokémon away so that he could get some rest, but even that felt like too much effort. Everything felt like that. He was physically and emotionally drained.

It had only been two hours at most since he got here. A few more couldn’t hurt him. So he didn’t make an effort to snap himself out of this limbo-like lull. Five more minutes. That’s all he wanted.

Everything was silent – more than usual too. There was a significant lack of _something_ in the air, but Nico didn’t know what. But it was nice. It hadn’t been this quiet in a while.

Five more minutes.

 

* * *

 

 

The train wasn’t due for another twenty minutes, but at least the station was mostly empty.  Will was _tired_. He had spent the better half of the day getting here.

An older trainer who had already been there when Will arrived walked up to him.

“Hey, want to go a round while we wait?”

Will held up a hand. “No thanks. I’m a bit worn out for today.”

The trainer shrugged. “Oh well. Your Cubone looks like a good opponent – it takes a lot to get to that level of strength. I can tell just from looking.”

Will nodded, grinning politely. “Thanks.”

‘ _Nico_ is _pretty great._ ’ Will thought to himself.

The train arrived late by about twenty minutes. It was empty for the most part, with only a few people and their Pokémon here or there. Will squeezed past a Lickitung that was standing in the middle of the walkway. Finally, he settled at three chairs in a corner near the end of the train.

It was more like a series of interconnected tramcars rather than a train with individual carts, Will noted.

Will relaxed as they started moving. Maybe he could get some rest now.

“I hope Nico’s alright,” Will said, to which Cubone replied with a huff.

The Pokemon sat at the edge of its seat, looking around. For the first time, Will noticed that Cubone was in a dampened mood. The mannerisms were subtle, but it was all in the way the Pokémon handled its bone. Tightly but fidgety, like a child holding its favorite stuffed toy. Cubone was anxious, probably because it wasn’t used to being without Nico for so long.

Will pulled a Berry out of his bag. They were a bit bruised and ripe, sure, but it was a gesture nonetheless. Cubone took it but didn’t eat it. Instead, it scooted closer to Will in a nonchalant kind of way.

It was a smooth ride for a good while. Vast expanses of wilderness, countryside, and tunnels blurred by the windows. The sky was grey, cold, and subdued as they traveled. It was a shame, really. The rolling hills and planes of grass would have looked nice with a bright blue sky and a warm sun.

Will kept himself busy by looking at the poster plastered on the walls and the mounted displays near the ceiling. They were full of typical advertisement nonsense with little to read and a lot of eye-catching images, but Will was more interested in the occasional news headliner that scrolled by.

“Bellus Granbulls win 2 – 0 against Athenes Natus” wasn’t all that interesting – Will wasn’t that big into baseball – but the following headlines were … notable, to say the least.

“Piraeus City ports begin to flood as maritime patterns continue to change wildly”

“Reported 15 incidents of wild Pokémon encounters end in serious injury”

“Want fuller hair? Try the new hair care product by L’Oreal! Supplemented with Roselia-scented extract. Easy, breezy, beautiful!”

“Energy woes continue as geothermal power cores reach all-time low”

“Route 10 sees its first thunderstorm in 20 years”

If Will didn’t know any better, these were just unrelated, inconvenient events leading to a cruddy end of the year – except the hair care product, probably. But he did know better, and the world was falling apart at the seams from the looks of it.

Credit where credit was due, people were really good at ignoring the bigger picture. It was so obvious that these weird things were not a coincidence. That, or Will was becoming paranoid. He’d seen a lot of things lately. There were bigger things at play. But less than a year ago Will wasn’t any the wiser, either. It was a simpler time.

Will finally understood what Jason meant by “damage “control”, although he wasn’t sure what that actually looked like. He couldn’t help but think of Percy trying to convince the ocean to stop flooding the city of Piraeus.

Gaia was really throwing the world for a spin. They still didn’t know what she _wanted._ Growing powerful was a given, but what could she _possibly_ want from toppling that first domino that set off all of these regional problems?

It couldn’t all be Gaia’s doing, though. While the dirty lady was creepy and disturbingly supernatural, Will doubted her ability to control ocean levels or geothermal somethings. Maybe this wasn’t her plan at all.

Whatever the case, Will didn’t linger too long on it. He found himself dozing off as his sleepless night finally caught up with him.

The next time Will woke up, the train was approaching a stop along a small, battered station. Hoppip was on his shoulder, hitting the side of Will’s head with its propellers.

“I’m up, I’m up,” Will said drearily.

The train came to a stop and a few people got up to get off. Will looked out the window. This was an in-between city before reaching Florentia, but it was his stop. He would have to walk the rest of the way. Hoppip and Cubone followed Will as they hopped off the train. It was colder now, and the air smelled like rain.

As they approached the small town, Will noticed a couple of tents set up around the outskirts, away from the outermost houses. They had a purple flag at the top with a golden laurel of leaves and an acronym along the middle. Campers, maybe, or just some trainers getting ready for the night.

Will continued down the dirt path towards the town. He probably had a few more hours of daylight. As they walked, he debated whether to stay at the town for the night or continue towards Florentia. He felt pretty great, so maybe he would camp out along the route when the sunset.

“Almost there,” Will said to Cubone, who nodded with a glimmer of hope in its eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, thanks so much for reading. I've been writing a lot of other things as a way to get some clarity on this work. It's really helped recenter my focus on everything. This time of the year is always so busy for me, so I'm sorry if you've been wondering where this story has been. 
> 
> Cheers!


	29. Florentia, pt. I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear I'm actively writing this for you guys ^^" Here's two chapters back to back as an apology! Thanks for your patience ~

Traveling by night was weird. By now Will’s eyes had adjusted to the dim moonlight, but every so often the clouds in the sky would block out the moon, turning everything into silhouettes and blobby figures. His depth perception wasn’t doing so hot, either.

The vast expanses of fields and nippy cold only added to how isolated and alone Will felt. Of course, he had Cubone at his side, but … still. There was nothing like a walk through the countryside in the moonlight miles away from any city to make a guy feel lonely.

As they walked down Route 42’s dirt road, Will heard the distant sounds of Pokémon fighting in the distance. Will ignored it, stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets and pressing onwards.

He was close now, but he didn’t really know what to do after that. The predicament gave Will enough to think about as he continued his walk through the night. He only really stopped to drink water and make sure that Cubone was still trudging along.

 _‘What a long night,’_ Will thought to himself, putting a pin in his train of thought for Florentia. _‘I seriously don’t appreciate just how long I sleep.’_

Cubone stopped suddenly, turning to the clump of trees to their right. There was a commotion going on. Will almost dismissed it as another Pokémon scuffle until he heard shouting. It was too distant to make out, but they didn’t sound happy. A group of people, at least. More than just two.

“Let’s go around,” Will said, almost tiredly and unimpressed.

For once, Cubone didn’t protest. Maybe it was because of the time or because the Pokémon simply wasn’t feeling it. Whatever the case, Will was relieved.

They continued walking, trying their best to ignore the ruckus between the trees. Part of Will told him that he should see what was happening in case people were being harassed by Terras cronies or something. The thought really bothered him.

It annoyed fate, too, because the bickering got louder.

Reluctantly, Will veered off the path and jogged towards the ruckus. Hidden behind some cover, he looked to see what was happening. The group of trees parted to reveal an isolated clearing away from the main road.

Two groups were fighting, and one of them was definitely Terras. But there was something different about the whole scenario. The Terras grunts were trying to shout at their Pokémon to do things, but the other four people, also in uniforms, were fighting differently.

 _‘The Legion people that Jason was talking about,’_ Will thought.

He had never seen anything like it. These people were fighting a group of Terras’ Tangela with _weapons._ Blunt golden swords in one hand and a large, rectangular shield in the other. None of them had any Pokémon, save for the Tauros that was traveling with them, attached to a cart with possessions on it. It was the most placid Tauros that Will had ever seen, too.

The grunts opposite them were an unorganized mess, shouting at each other and looking like they were ready to bolt at any second. Their efforts didn’t end well as the organized, methodical advances of the Legion members took out two of their Tangela and were quickly overcoming the rest. Despite their dull blades, the gold metal of their weapons was really doing a number on the Tangela. Will was reluctant to think of what a serrated or sharpened sword could do.

Their shields shrugged off the Vine Whip attacks that the Tangela were trying to pull off.

“We should go,” Will whispered. Everything was fine here.

The last Tangela fell with a final thrust of their swords, knocking the Pokémon out. The grunts panicked, shouting random nonsense as they scattered, leaving their Tangela behind. Before Will knew it, one of the grunts ran into him, throwing them both off balance.

“Get out of the way!” the grunt yelled, pushing Will into the ground as he struggled to get up.

Cubone growled, tackling the grunt and knocking him into the group of Legion members, who had already relaxed their formation. The grunt stumbled into the arms of the nearest member, who had already sheathed his sword and was in the middle of picking something up from the ground.

“Hey!” the legionnaire shouted.

The grunt threw a punch before he could get caught and quickly ran into the dark.

Will clutched his chest, feeling winded.

Jason had warned him about his blood-thirsty army-group-thing and he had just seen these four people take down Pokémon without any of their own, but they couldn’t be any older than he was. Not to mention the fact that they were in pajamas. Wielding weapons, yes, but the blue Mareep PJs really equaled out the intimidation factor.

From the looks of it, they had dressed quickly after getting ambushed by the grunts. Their camp lay in shambles from the battle.

Will picked himself off the ground as one of the older looking guys walked up to him. He had a nasty bruise already forming just under the eye where the grunt had clocked him.

“Return to town. It’s not safe to travel at night anymore.”

“On it,” Will said, nodding. He kept it at that, not wanting to keep this going longer than it had to be. He could find another way to Florentia. One that didn’t involve being on the receiving end of that sword somehow. Luck would find a way, undoubtedly.

He turned to leave back up Route 42, but he only walked a few steps before the pajama soldier stopped him.

“You can’t go that way. The small town’s too far a walk.”

“Ah, well, that’s where I came from,” Will said. “It’s not a big deal.”

“If that’s the case, let us escort you to Florentia. We were going to head there in the morning anyway, but the sooner we get there the better.”

“Oh,” Will said, awkwardly. “It’s, uh … I … sure.”

Cubone looked up at him with a sour face as the Legion members turned around to pack. Some of them were already tending to the Tangela, shooing them off into the forest as they regained consciousness.

“I panicked, sue me,” Will muttered, running his hand through his hair.

Cubone grunted, its eyes narrow and disapproving.

 

~

 

“Gaius, I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“It’s not against the rules. We’re fine.”

“It’s not the rules I’m concerned about. We can’t just trust people freely anymore. You know that.”

“He’s just a trainer,” Gaius said defiantly. “Despite what’s going on, people are still living their daily lives. They have the right to that. Relax.”

“Keep your voice down,” the girl said in a hushed whisper.

“Julianne, _relax._ ”

Will pretended not to hear their exchange as he walked behind the pair, almost out of earshot. Their voices were low, but hearing became heightened in the dark. What might have been inaudible whispers during a lively day was like normal talk now.

The cautious one, Julianne, looked back at Will with a mindful eye. Will waved awkwardly, hoping that she didn’t suspect him of eavesdropping.

Gaius fell back and walked beside Will.

“I really can make it on my own,” Will said. “I don’t want any trouble.”

“Nonsense. Florentia is only a stroll away now,” Praxis said. His black eye had turned a puffy reddish black.

Will sighed, looking into the dark. This wasn’t so bad. Once he got to Florentia, he would part ways, and nothing would come of this. Maybe Jason was being a little over-the-top about these people. The guy seemed stressed out when they had talked yesterday.

“Do you know those old myths? About ancient powers and all that?” Praxis said suddenly, looking to reignite the conversation.

“I’m kinda familiar.”

“Florentia’s built on the meadow where the myth of Hades and Persephone takes place. At least, that’s one belief,” Gaius said. He pointed at the open plains, littered with the dark silhouettes of tall plants and trees. “The flowers bloom here year-round, supposedly because the meadow has Persephone’s protection.”

“Isn’t it because of the kinds of Pokemon that live here?” Will said. “There’s a big population of pollinators and natural flower keepers, I’ve noticed.”

“Sure, that’s one explanation. It depends on what you believe, right?”

Julianne shot Gaius a dirty look, one that clearly told him to cut it out. Will pretended not to notice. Gaius either did the same or wasn’t paying attention to her.

“The myth never really goes into why, honestly. People used to think it was because Florentia sits on an entrance to the Underworld. The one that Hades used to take Persephone away,” Gaius continued. “So Persephone’s power manages to seep into the mortal world through there.”

“Entrance to the afterlife in the middle of a field of pretty flowers. That’s oddly disturbing,” Will commented.

“Gaius,” Julianne said sharply. “Can I speak with you for a second?”

“Sure,” he said before turning to Will. “Neat, huh?”

“Creative, if anything,” Will said.

“Glad you like them,” Gaius said with a grin before catching up to Julianne.

Will did his best not to listen this time, though he did catch Gaius say, “It’s just small talk.”

He didn’t seem ill-intended. He was actually kinda nice. Nothing like what Jason made these people out to be. Will noticed that he was the leader of the bunch, with Julianne rearing as second-in-command. Maybe she was a little uptight, but if this is what their leadership looked like, then the Legion couldn’t be that strict.

Will relaxed a bit. This wasn’t so bad. Gaius was alright.

Their walk to Florentia quieted down after Julianne finished telling Gaius off, but Gaius still occasionally told Will a joke or a comment about any Pokémon that popped by in the dark.

Finally, Florentia came into view. The path leading up to the city borders was well lit and busy. Legion members in similar gear (minus the PJs, plus normal clothes) milled around with no real purpose.

Strangely, there wasn’t a single Pokémon in sight.

“Wait here,” Gaius said before leaving to talk to someone.

It took a while, but he finally came back. He didn’t look happy.

“No one’s allowed to enter town without getting screened. Sorry. You can go ahead in a minute.”

“Okay,” Will said slowly, starting to walk towards the town.

Gaius turned to Julianne and his other two lackeys. His demeanor had changed dramatically, from loose and friendly to serious and tempered.

“It happened already. Markus and Ren, there’s a search and capture operation going on in the forest opposite of town. Go. Julianne, deliver the cart to the larder, then get briefed at comms.  We’ll have a breakdown after morning call.”

Will looked ahead. The city looked like a militaristic war camp. Sheathed swords, daggers, and other weapons, albeit all blunt, were on every soldier in sight. No one looked like they had rested in a while, which gave most of them scowls and dark eyes.

The idea that these people weren’t so bad quickly faded. Will would most definitely have a sword aimed at his ribcage by the end of the hour.

‘ _They don’t suspect a thing,_ ’ Will thought. _‘Don’t give them a reason to._ ’

He was just a normal traveler.

Will took a deep breath as he and Cubone approached the city limits, which was guarded by three soldiers.

“What’s your intention here?” the one on the far left said.

“I’m traveling?” Will said, confused by how they could even pass this whole thing off to normal people passing by. It had to look weird.

Maybe they didn’t, and people were intimidated enough to not ask questions.

The guard nodded, signaling for Will to drop his bag on the table in front of him. He did so and waited, looking around the town. They wouldn’t find anything, anyway. There wasn’t an “I’m with the guy who you’re trying to capture” slip in his bag.

There was, however, something in there that got the guards talking to each other. They murmured among themselves, to the point that Will turned around with a frown.

What happened?

“Come with us,” a guard finally commanded, signaling towards the left of town. The part where the heart of their camp was.

“Uh, okay,” Will said.

He and Cubone exchanged glances before following nervously.

 

* * *

 

 

Nico’s dreams were unpleasant, shifting from panic to amalgams of fear and darkness. He felt trapped and isolated, without the strength to wake himself up. It was only getting worse as time passed.

He opened his eyes for the hundredth time, only to see that stupid tree from all those years ago. Bianca would say the same thing she always did, and the whole nightmare would start again. Nico was sick of it, but he didn’t have much say in the matter.

“The past can be haunting, child, but fearing it makes fools of even the greatest hero.”

Nico looked up, confused. Hades stood by the fallen trunk of a spruce tree. He was dressed in strict business clothing and a slightly loosened tie as if he had just gotten out of work. His clothes were all jet black, including the suitcase at his feet. More strict and uptight than when Nico saw him in the Underworld.

“Dad,” Nico said.

“I’ve always been fond of this meadow,” Hades said quietly, sadly. The scene melted from the summer-time forest of Nico’s childhood into the brightly colored fields of Florentia. The air became cold, and the summer haze dissipated. “It nurtures the most beautiful flowers in all of the region …”

Why the Lord of the Underworld had an appreciation for meadows and flowers, particularly this place by Florentia, Nico had no idea. His gaze looked over the fields of white perennials and multi-colored poppies, violets, and sunflowers.

Sentimental wasn’t a good look on Hades’ face. It was troubled and spiteful.

Nico said nothing. He felt awkward and uncomfortable still as Hades continued to stare at the open plain without acknowledging Nico further. Ten minutes passed before Hades spoke again.

“I have not had time to relax these past few days. It is … refreshing. I suggest you do the same.”

“What are you doing here, Dad? I thought you weren’t going to –“

“I am not going to help you. Your fight is your own. I am merely,” Hades paused, trying to think of the right word, “hanging out.”

A loud, distant roar bellowed through the air and reverberated through the fields and trees. Leaves dropped from branches and flowers clung to their roots as they were pushed to one side, but no Pokémon skittered away in surprise. There probably wasn’t any to begin with.

“What was that?” Nico said.

“Groudon,” Hades grunted.

“Is it dangerous? In a dream, I mean?”

Hades raised an eyebrow, his mouth pressed thin. “You ask too many questions. Yes, Groudon is dangerous, even in an unbound reality. It will try and kill you if it finds you again, no doubt.”

Nico frowned, glancing behind him.

“Fun,” he muttered.

“It’s not a choice I agree with, and is our main point of contention,” Hades said calmly. “Despite what my image is constructed to represent in myth, I am not heartless. I wish for my children to live good lives.”

 _‘Thanks for the generosity, dad’_ was on the tip of Nico’s tongue, but he stopped himself. It was probably for the best that he wasn’t bitter that the epitome of his father’s love was not killing him.

“It’s baffling how simple-minded humans are, isn’t it?” Hades said, waving his hand. The scene changed once again. Their surroundings turned to night, and the meadow became populated with camping tents and sword-wielding people in armor. “War and fighting. One enemy. Conquering. It’s always been the same with them.”

Nico watched as the soldiers worked like ants, setting up tents and dispersing into groups. They were very militaristic and organized.

“The people – Romans, they call themselves – they place their faith in our Legendary counterparts more than the Olympians themselves. It’s tradition for them to champion their divine patron over their godly heritage. Devotion breeds power, and power controls the balance between us. An Olympian has little power here.”

Hades frowned, watching. He seemed to be looking at something far into the distance, on the right side of the city. Nico couldn’t make it out, but he also didn’t have godly eyesight to boot.

Hades picked up his suitcase, looking at his gold watch with a look of discomfort as if his head started to hurt or something.

“These moments don’t last long. You’ll have to be on your toes again very soon. You would do well to get a move on. Those two are bound to find you.”

Nico turned to look at what his dad was talking about. Two soldiers (who were wearing … pajamas under their armor?) had left the main group and now headed away from the town, towards the East.

“What –“ Nico stopped himself. Hades was gone.

 

* * *

 

Will stood in a single tent, alone with Cubone. No one had shown up since the soldiers left him here. He was starting to wonder if anyone would come at all. Being alone was probably the best-case scenario for him right now, anyway.

Cubone tapped its bone on the ground, impatient. It didn’t look happy with Will and refused to look him in the eye since they got here.

Finally, Will heard someone. Their shadow cast along the front of the tent as they stopped only a short way away.

“I told you he was trouble,” Julianne’s voice said, far angrier and annoyed than last time.

“Alright, I get it,” Gaius replied, his shadow appearing beside her.

“Reyna wants you here, then to justify your actions if he’s actually trouble,” Julianne continued, and then, with a low voice, added, “Try not to flirt with him this time.”

“I wasn’t –“

Julianne walked off angrily. For a second-in-command, she really acted like the squad’s leader.

Gaius entered the tent, looking both red and regretful. He glanced up at Will but didn’t bother saying anything to him.

Whoever was coming couldn’t have gotten there fast enough. The silence was heavy and suffocating, making Will more uncomfortable than fearful of his own wellbeing. When two more people finally arrived, Will wanted to sigh in relief.

Before he could, something was being shoved in his face.

“Where did you get this? Did you steal it? Answer!”

Will took a couple of steps back, shoving the hand out of his face. Cubone growled but luckily didn’t do anything.

The hand belonged to a scrawny, crazy-eyed guy who looked like he had downed a few shots of espresso and was falling from the caffeine high. He looked unusually pallid and sickly, too. Maybe he had eaten some bad seafood with those coffee shots, too.

“Peace,” a second, more authoritative voice said.

The second person’s demeanor was calm, but even more threatening than Noodle Arms waving his item around like a Sableye gone mad. Her expression was unreadable, which wasn’t reassuring.

This had to be the Reyna that Jason (and Julianne just now) had mentioned.

“You were detained because you had these items in your possession,” she said, referring to the thing in Crazy Guy’s hand. It was one of the orbs that he took from the grunts. “Do you know what they are?”

Will looked at the orb, thinking quickly. He wasn’t sure what the right answer was.

“They’re stones. Pretty ones.”

“Liar!” Crazy Guy said.

“Octavian,” Reyna snapped, her brow twitching with annoyance. Just like the other legion people before her, she looked tired and worn-out. Unlike the others, there was the smallest hint of stress. She did well to hide it, but there was more weighing on her than just no sleep.

Octavian scowled and kept shut but didn’t back down.

“Where did you get them?” Reyna asked.

“Some guys in, uh, uniforms. They jumped me, but I got away.”

“You just happened to get these from them?” Octavian asked, suspicious. “Don’t make me laugh.”

 _‘I’m not trying to,’_ Will said, growing increasingly annoyed with him.

“Yeah. I mean, it was a panic move. They were attacking my Cubone, and I thought they’d follow me instead if I took something from them,” Will said, spewing a half-formed excuse. He wasn’t sure where it was coming from if he was honest.

“Unbelievable,” Octavian said, but Reyna simply stared at Will in thought.

Her gaze made Will uncomfortable, even more so than when Annabeth tried murdering him and Nico with a cold stare back at Chiron’s lab.

“I believe you,” she said after a few seconds.

“What?” Octavian cried in disgust, looking at Reyna incredulously.

“We’ll take the stones. They’re valuable artifacts that were being smuggled by thieves. My thanks for retrieving them. Gaius, you may return to your commanding officer for assessment.”

Gaius saluted as Reyna turned around and promptly exited the tent. Octavian quickly followed.

“Reyna! Get the hounds to validate his story!”

Their steps disappeared as they walked away, with Octavian blabbering about lies and false narratives.

“Glad that got cleared up,” Gaius said quietly. “Uh, see you around.”

He left without another word. Will felt sorry for him – tonight hadn’t been his night. Unsure of whether or not he could leave, Will stayed put. It probably wasn’t the wisest idea, but he didn’t want to risk getting on their bad side again. At least he wasn’t in any real trouble.

Suddenly, Octavian burst through the flaps of the tent.

“I know what you’re playing at. You had both Rayquaza’s and Kyogre’s stones, and you happen to come to Groudon’s sacred city? Reyna might be blind, but I’m not. If it were up to me, you’d be _dead_.”

Despite his scrawny form and weak appearance, the way his eyes twinkled when he said his threat didn’t sit well with Will. The guy had lost his mind.

“Keep the stupid things,” Will said dryly. “I don’t care for them.”

“We’ll see,” Octavian said before storming out of the tent.

Will clenched his fists, feeling a fiery sense of hate growing in the pit of his stomach.

“Malnourished jerk,” Will muttered.

The feeling didn’t die down as Will left the tent and was accompanied by two random legionnaires back to Florentia, nor did it die down when he reached the depths of town alone, accompanied by Cubone and out of reach of Reyna and Octavian’s eye.

He really needed to find Nico.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to give the side-side characters a name at some point in the story. I could only get away with calling them non-descriptors for so long. Part two is up next if you want to give it a read! 
> 
> Thanks for reading,
> 
> Cheers!


	30. Florentia, pt. II

When he woke, Nico found himself covered in leaves and branches. A pile of flowers lay on his feet, and a small log was propped against his right arm. He felt sore all over and his head ached with a dull thud.

“What the hell,” Nico muttered, dragging himself into a sitting position. The collection of dead plant parts pooled on his lap as Nico rubbed some dirt out of his eye. Igglybuff slept peacefully on a mound of more leaves beside him.

Nico looked out around him, taking it in for the first time since they shadow-traveled here. How long ago was that? It couldn’t have been more than a few hours ago. At least, that’s what it felt like. He stretched his arms, feeling out the soreness that ran through his body. They were heavily bandaged and covered in a sweet pulp made of crushed berries.

Nico peeled back a part of the bandaging on his forearm and flinched when he saw the deep scars that ran across his skin, like burn marks that had eaten away at his arm. They were from the dark shadow rings, no doubt, but those had receded to slightly above his wrists now.

_‘How far-gone was I?’_ Nico wondered. He hardly even thought that anything was wrong until now.

The pollen from all the flowers made Nico sneeze, waking Igglybuff from its sleep.

“Buff?” The Pokémon said suddenly, looking up with drowsy half-lidded eyes. It looked around before spotting Nico. “Igglybuff!”

The puff sprang up with happiness, hopping to Nico with twinkling eyes. It patted him on the arm in a bubbly sort of way, picking up a slab of berry pulp and slopping it onto the exposed part of his arm and taking the bandage from Nico and reapplying it.

“Huh,” Nico said, amazed at the Pokémon’s carefulness. “Thanks, Igglybuff.”

Igglybuff smiled with an open mouth, plopping down on the ground next to him.

“How long have we been here?” Nico asked.

Igglybuff thought for a second before holding up a single stub. “Buff!”

Nico didn’t know what that meant. One day? An hour? An evening? Or was the stub supposed to represent multiple fingers?

“… Right,” Nico said.

Behind them, the grass rustled with activity and the blue LED light of flashlights crept through the trees. Nico suddenly remembered his conversation with Hades. That felt like only a few seconds ago.  _Man,_ his time perception was  _off_ today. 

Two guys in pajamas were coming his way. Barring the weird choice in apparel, their uniforms were identical to the ones from that Reyna person’s group.

Suddenly alert, Nico reached for his Pokémon belt under all the leaves. But Murkrow’s PokéBall was empty, and Aron – or Lairon, now – wouldn’t be much help. He really needed Murkrow’s swift stealth for this.

Not knowing what else to do, Nico tried to distance himself from the approaching danger. Every rustle and crack of leaves made him wince, fearing that he was being too loud. If he was, the pair of soldiers didn’t verbally react.

He reached the foot of a large tree with low hanging branches. It wasn’t his best idea by a long shot – not with injured arms and low stamina, but it was the best he had.

“Get up there,” Nico whispered, grabbing Igglybuff and tossing the Pokémon onto the nearest branch.

He hoisted himself onto the tree, clenching his teeth as the sore pain from his injuries made his arms feel like jelly. Nico managed to get a leg onto the branch, which gave him the support he needed to heave himself up. He fumbled his way up another two branches before stopping, entirely out of strength.

The combined cover of darkness and leaves made Nico hard to see. At least, that was the hope. Igglybuff somersaulted from branch to branch until it landed next to Nico with a flourish.

_‘Show-off,’_ Nico huffed.

Nico waited as the soldiers came by, hopefully oblivious to their surroundings and walking right by him. He listened as their footsteps walked past his tree, but then stopped suddenly.

“Check this out,” one of them said. “A jacket.”

Nico touched his shoulder, only now realizing that his jacket was missing. He cursed under his breath, wondering how Igglybuff had managed to take it off on its own.

“The guy’s been here, then? I’ll call it in.”

It didn’t look like they would be leaving anytime soon.

 

* * *

 

From his spot at the top of a foothill, Will watched as a group of Legion members began mobilizing into a unit. From the looks of it, they were going out into the east side of the fields outside of Florentia.

He contemplated his options but decided that it was better if he didn’t cross their path again. Will turned back into town and walked down the pebbled sidewalk of Florentia. Making sense of the town was already hard enough with its winding, compact streets, and organically-shaped roads, but the darkness made everything else that much harder to identify. His superpower of night vision died under all the spotlights in the camp.

_‘I’ve been down this road before … I think,’_ Will thought, turning left on the corner between a few sets of apartments. It all looked the same, honestly. In the distance, he spotted two figures walking in the dark. It wasn’t the first people he’d seen – this Legion had the town _littered_ with people patrolling the night.

It was because of that that Will came to the conclusion that Nico wouldn’t be in Florentia. It was obvious, but this definitely sealed the deal. They would have found him by now with their excessive screening and thorough patrols. Will ran into a set of soldiers every couple of minutes, and each time Will felt like they had discovered that he was connected to the guy they were looking for. It was silly, but the dudes had swords; Will felt justified.

He somehow managed to get to one of the city’s borders. If his bearings were right, he was on the east side of town. It was lonely and abandoned here, with older buildings that showed the signs of wear and tear. But despite the fact that the city borders ended by the last of the lamp-lit road and a meek wooden fence that had seen better days, even more buildings sat just beyond it all.

Will jumped the fence, making sure that Cubone was following close behind. The Pokémon grunted, choosing to duck under instead.

The structures outside the city borders didn’t look like houses. They didn’t look like much, actually, because all that was left was rubble and the building’s foundations. But the general shape reminded Will of all the temples he had been in before: a large, main room with two entrances on either side. It had to be a miniature version, at least. These things were _everywhere_ in Olympia, it seemed.

The closer that Will looked, the more he realized that this was one of a series of buildings. Some were stone, but he did find marble bits of statues laying around.

“Looks like this was here before the city,” Will muttered to no one in particular.

He followed the trail of rubble to another wrecked building, and then another. Each was bigger than the last. At one point Will found a dismembered marble hand, but the owner was nowhere to be found. It looked feminine at least, and the craftsmanship was remarkably accurate. In a way, disturbing.

Less eerie but still kinda weird was a small statue that Will found hanging out by a set of markers in the ground. It was of a woman with an off-putting smile and a pomegranate in her left hand, which extended outward like she was showing off her pomegranate to the world. So proud.

“There’s that strange lettering again,” Will noted, looking at the inscription written at the base of the statue. The letters all had eyes somewhere in their design, just like the ones at the temples. “Persephone.”

Will set the statue down, fixated on investigating more. Cubone tugged at his pants leg, but Will shrugged it off dismissively.

“We’re not gonna find Nico in the town. Here’s a good start, isn’t it?”

His search led him to the steps of the largest building yet. Still standing, too. It was similar enough to the other temples, except this one only had the entablature and the columns that held it up. No main room.

Cubone growled menacingly at something behind them. Will turned, only to see a handful of Legion soldiers coming up behind him, swords raised.

Will held a hand up.

“What’s up, guys?” he said semi-casually. They’d finally found him out, it seemed.

 “I knew it,” Octavian’s voice screeched, rearing up from behind his entourage. A Solrock accompanied him. It was the first Pokémon Will had seen from these guys. “Did you think I was an idiot?”

“Yeah, I kinda do. Keep your stupid relics, I don’t care about them,” Will snapped, feeling a flash of anger. This guy was dead set on his idea that Will was out to steal those relics he had earlier.

Octavian’s face was a mixture of disgust and glee. 100% a total psycho.

“Ah ha!” You do know what they are!” he said.

_‘What does that even –_ ‘ Will’s train of thought halted as he realized that he had just admitted that he knew that the orbs weren’t just “pretty stones”, but relics. It didn’t mean that Octavian was right, but the guy wasn’t about to sit down and _listen_ to Will explain.

“It’s a shame you came to the wrong temple. I would have loved to prove to Reyna that I was right by ripping the Red Orb out of your hands. But you won’t find the relic here – not in Hades’ old battered temple,” Octavian said, an air of smugness about him. “It hasn’t been here for ages.”

All the while Octavian was ranting, the soldiers in front of him crept closer. Will walked back between the columns of the temple slowly.

“Why don’t _you_ have a pointy sword?” Will asked. “Public safety, or iron deficiency?”

Octavian seemed to take that one to heart.

“ _I_ happen to hold a high-ranking position. I get a Pokémon to handle the work for me,” Octavian sneered.

Ah, ego, the one true weakness of any crazy-eyed delusional dude.

“Well, I don’t have a sword because of reasons, so let’s call it even, yeah?” Will said, hoping to keep him talking. He wasn’t exactly thrilled at the prospect of actually _fighting_ these guys. As if he had any experience with that.

Octavian wasn’t buying it. With a sudden hand signal, Solrock began spinning furiously, turning a bright orange.

“Cubone, duck,” Will said quickly, reacting reflexively as a beam of orange light blasted past him and cracked a pillar at the other end of the temple.

The building crumbled and a light layer of debris fell from the roof.

“Are you out of your mind?” Will said.

“It’s worthless, anyway,” Octavian said, his eyes murderous. “Get him.”

The soldiers charged in unison, shields up front. Cubone threw out its bone, but their compact formation shrugged it off with only a bit of knockback.

Will was at a loss. This was unconventional and foreign to him. They were _people_ who could actually get injured – and _he_ himself was a person who could get injured by _them_. Worse, even. In retrospect, it was no different than all the crap he’d gone through in the last few weeks except … well, people didn’t normally plan on dying in combat against somebody with a sword or something.

Brute force really wasn’t the way out of this situation, unless he counted the four-week self-defense class that Will took as a kid. Formless roundhouse kicks weren’t going to get him anywhere.

_‘Let’s see, let’s see,’_ Will said, jumping on the balls of his feet as Cubone continued to try and engage against the soldiers.

He tried to recall everything he knew about Solrock. They were mysterious, having disappeared off the face of the Earth for most of history until recently. There wasn’t a lot known because of that, and even less about behavioral tendencies or growths. Hell, people were still discovering what kind of moves they could be taught …

Cubone was knocked back by a shield bash from the middle of the formation, making the Pokémon grow angrier.

_‘Psychic type, unaffected by ground-based moves,’_ Will thought, scouring his mind. _‘Poor eyesight, explosive tendencies.’_

Solrocks’ attacks mild but could become powerful when aggravated. The Pokémon was known to be temperamental without its counterpart, Lunatone, and weren’t particularly bulky, either.

“Come on!” Octavian yelled, growing impatient as Cubone consistently held up their progress forwards with Bone Club attacks and the occasional Bonemerang.

Will had to hand it to them; Cubone hit hard, and being able to take the hits and only getting staggered back was impressive. He noticed that the pillar to Octavian’s right had worn away faster than the others. It’s base looked weak, but more importantly, it had just the right angle to hit Solrock if he could knock it down. The impact would probably tick Solrock off, causing some sort of explosive reaction that could give them a hand.

It was a plan, at least.

Will called out Hoppip, which spun jovially in place, carefree of the horrors of the world.

“Hoppip, I need you to focus,” Will said, holding the Pokémon in place. “We need to get to that pillar.”

The Grass-type looked around before nodding with a surprised expression. On the count of three, Will ran past the soldiers towards Octavian and Solrock. They would have reacted, but Hoppip spewed a thick cloud of Stun Spore powder over them. Rather than becoming stunned, though, the soldiers created a shelter beneath their shields as they covered their mouths.

Will ran behind the pillar, keeping an eye on the Solrock.

“Alright, Hoppip, get the Solrock’s attention,” he said. “No, wait. Bullet Seed that creep instead.”

The Grass-type spun in place rapidly before firing a barrage of small seeds at Octavian. They were harmless enough, only knocking his head a few times, but it got the reaction that Will was looking for.

“How dare – you little,” Octavian spat, livid. “Solrock, fire!”

Solrock began glowing orange again as it spun to charge another beam of energy. Will quickly grabbed Hoppip and braced himself behind the column of marble, hoping that it wouldn’t fall over with one hit.

The Rock-type fired, blasting a chunk out of the pillar and sending clouds of rubble flying in every direction. The soldiers stopped messing with Cubone to see what was happening. It teetered slightly, on the verge of collapse.

“Cubone!” Will yelled, pointing at the pillar.

The Pokémon analyzed the situation, understanding immediately. It wound up for a powerful Bonemerang, which flew in an arch and hit the top of the column at the perfect angle. With a final crunch, the pillar began falling. Will heard Octavian yell before the pillar crashed into Solrock. The Pokémon seemed unscathed, but it became to sputter with fiery pops. Its eyes widened as the yellow spines around its body glowed a dangerous yellow.

“Take cover!” one of the soldiers yelled.

With Hoppip in his arms, Will ran back as fast as he could to the other end of the temple. Octavian was at his heels, but he wasn’t focused on Will at all. Cubone, however, ran directly at the Solrock. The Pokémon charged and hit Solrock with as much force as it could, sending it flying into the air.

With a final crackle, Solrock released a fiery shockwave that thundered across the temple. Will was knocked over as a result, and suddenly a lot of things were on fire and nothing made sense.

Will coughed uncontrollably as he tried to get his bearings. The smell of sulfur and ash seared his lungs with each breath. The blackened clouds were disorienting, making it hard to do anything, and Will was pretty sure his forehead was bleeding. The temple was still standing, though, even if a lot of things were now destroyed.

Octavian was at his feet, already getting up. Will watched as he brandished a small golden dagger from his belt. Will didn’t give him the chance to use it, though. He kicked Octavian squarely in the chest as hard as he could. The guy was as flimsy as he looked; with an “oof”, Octavian fell over and dropped his dagger, which skidded across the temple floor.

Will stood up, still coughing from all the fumes.

“C-Cubone?” Will called out before covering his mouth with his sleeve.

He spotted the Pokémon along the row of pillars by the outside of the temple, fainted. Will hurried to the Pokémon, albeit with a small limp, and picked the Ground-type up. A short distance away, Octavian’s Solrock lay in a fainted heap. Unscathed, but burnt out.

 

* * *

 

 

Nico had done his fair share of hiding in the past. He would consider it a specialty of his, with how many times he could disappear into the surrounding woods back home as a kid, to the exasperation of his sister and stepmother.

A six-year-old evading the search efforts of a couple of worried people, however, paled in comparison to the predicament Nico was in now.

It was hard to get a grasp of what was going on down below, except that the place was littered with Legion members. More of them had arrived in the thirty minutes since the pajama ones called in. There was a positive silver lining in that fact if Nico really looked for it: a thirty-minute walk or march from their main hangout meant that if he could get out of this, he’d have a good chance of never running into them again.

“No sign of him praetor,” one of them said.

Nico caught a flash of purple and gold between the leaves. He shifted his weight on the branch, which turned out to be a mistake. His foot slipped, causing the tree to rustle slightly. There was a moment of silence before anybody spoke again.

“Redirect our search in this direction and extend outwards in intervals,” Reyna said. “I will lead a party with Aurum and Argentum.”

The Legion members left one after the other in different directions. Nico held his breath as it became quieter, which made it seem like his own breathing was becoming louder. Finally, after what _felt_ like a couple of minutes of total silence, Nico risked jumping down.

He was surprised to find his aviator jacket hanging on the branch of his tree. Nico took it warily in case it was part of a trap, but nothing happened. It did feel slightly heavier. He dug out the pockets, finding a small golden coin with the design of two Dratini wrapping around a blazing torch molded into it. There was a small phrase at the bottom, but Nico couldn’t read it. Definitely not English.

_‘Did she put this in?’_ Nico thought. Maybe it was a sign of goodwill, or maybe Igglybuff had picked it off of the ground somewhere.

Regardless, he put his jacket back on and stuffed the coin into his pocket.

By the looks of it, everyone had dispersed into the field on his left. They had originally come in from his right, which meant that the only logical direction to go in was directly in front or behind him.

“Come on,” Nico said to Igglybuff.

Even if he accounted for his exhaustion and weak muscle strength, something still felt … off. Nico tried to place a finger on what it was, but it was like trying to remember a word he knew but simply couldn’t.

Nico shook the thought away.

_‘Focus.’_

It didn’t take long for his plan of sneaking away to completely blow up in his face. Without any indication or warning, one of Reyna’s Houndoom pounced out of the grass, blocking Nico’s path. It made Igglybuff jump backward in alarm, but Nico was able to catch the Pokémon before it floated away.

Nico unhooked Lairon’s PokéBall but fumbled with the button before managing to call the Pokémon out. If the gold-encrusted Houndoom hadn’t led the Legion members here, the flash of red light certainly did. In a matter of seconds, three of them showed up, swords in hand.

In a panic move, Nico tried to shadow-travel again. It was reflexive at this point, but the fact didn’t make him want to punch himself in the face any less. Thankfully, under the moonlight, the shadows along the grasses weren’t strong enough to do anything with.

It was a relief until Nico realized he was still trapped. Even if Lairon’s Protect could hold the attacks off, reinforcements would definitely come at any second.

Nico looked at the Houndoom, and then at his surroundings.

_‘If I could just get that thing to use a fire attack …’_ he thought, frantically trying to come up with options.

The three Legion members attacked simultaneously but were greeted with a Protect-driven charge by Lairon. The Pokémon grunted as its reflective barrier collided against the gold metal of the three blades. Nico’s breath hitched as the swords actually managed to crack the barrier. Whatever that stuff was made of, it was extremely effective.

The Houndoom circled around Lairon, but its intent was on Nico. The Pokémon pounced, leaving him with little time to react. From its place in Nico’s arms, Igglybuff attacked back. Its Pound attack collided directly against the Houndoom’s snout, but it didn’t stop the Dark-type from crashing into them.

Nico tried to make as much distance between him and the Houndoom as possible, backing away on the ground. Igglybuff had already managed to slip out of his hands and was facing the Houndoom head-on with a would-be menacing pose if Igglybuff was any bigger than a foot tall.

“Try and draw out a fire attack!” Nico yelled.

Lairon wasn’t doing too hot. The Legion members were evading its every attack, then countering with their own unified strikes. The Steel-type lacked offensive speed, but its reaction time was lightning-fast. It was able to deflect every attack with a Protect, but the shields were becoming weaker, drawing too much energy out of Lairon.

But Nico couldn’t _do_ anything. He couldn’t fight, even if he had a weapon.

“Lairon, can you take a hit?” Nico called out.

The Pokémon grunted, its blue eyes darting to Nico quickly.

“Take one,” Nico said. Hopefully, he was making a good call.

The soldiers attacked again, hitting Lairon’s hide, pushing the Pokémon down.

“Headbutt!” Nico commanded.

Lairon complied, but a different attack came out. Its head glowed with a metallic gleam as it ducked its head down before thrusting its body head-first against the three soldiers. Unprepared, they went flying backward into the fields.

Good, but that wouldn’t buy them too much time. He could already hear shouts in the distance as more of them approached. Nico didn’t have a Monitor on him, but he guessed that Lairon was at a sliver of energy.

“Good job,” Nico said quickly, calling Lairon back into its PokéBall. He could praise the Pokémon and do all the gratuitous stuff later.

Houndoom was now entirely focused on Igglybuff. The puff was rolling around to dodge and attacking when it could, but Houndoom wasn’t pulling out any Fire-type attacks. The Dark-type swiped and gnashed its teeth, growing more frustrated as Igglybuff tickled it with Pound.

Nico was cautious about calling to Igglybuff. He didn’t want to redirect attention back to him and potentially ruin their shot at getting a Fire-attack to happen. That was his ticket out of here. But they were running out of time.

“Igglybuff, climb out of reach!” Nico called out, pointing at the nearest tree.

Just as Nico had thought, Houndoom perked up at his voice.

“Buff!” Igglybuff exclaimed, taking advantage of the distraction to hit Houndoom in the snout again before heading towards the tree.

Houndoom shook its head in aggravation, the glow of embers forming inside of its jaws. It chased Igglybuff up the tree, but fell short of leaping up onto the lowest branch. Igglybuff hopped another branch higher, looking down at Dark-type with beady brown eyes.

Growing tired and frustrated, Houndoom’s mouth started emitting flames as it prepared a Fire-type attack. It breathed out a plume of fire which Igglybuff barely avoided. The flames threaded the needle of the tree, though, completely missing any ignitable material.

“Dammit,” Nico muttered. “Igglybuff, use Copycat and shoot at the thickest patch of grass!”

With a bright green glow, Igglybuff charged up a copy of Houndoom’s flames. It aimed at the ground, and then – Houndoom slammed against the tree, knocking Igglybuff off balance. The flames shot out at a skewed angle, landing into the distance.

It landed in an open space free of any grass, and for a second Nico thought nothing happened. But the fire picked up on its own, creating long shadows among all the trees around it.

Houndoom bashed itself into the tree again, not realizing that Igglybuff had already left and joined Nico’s side. With a final headbutt, the tree fell and Houndoom dropped to a sitting position, exhausted.

“Go,” Nico said, picking Igglybuff off of the ground. “The shadow.”

He knew what it meant to shadow travel again, and what he was risking by doing so. But what other choice did he have? Nico sprinted towards the nearest shadow. He was only a few steps away from the shadow now, but he stopped in his tracks.

Reyna held a dagger in her hand, wearing a dark expression that could bore a hole in concrete. She was the only thing between Nico and that shadow.  She was alone; the other Legion members were too far to get here in time, and her other Houndoom was nowhere in sight.

He could make a run for the shadow and get skewered, or he could stand here and get skewered. Neither way was pleasant, but before Nico could move, Reyna threw her blade with so much force, the dagger ripped through the air with a powerful “thwip”.

Straight at Nico, too.

_Thunk._

The dagger flew by Nico’s arm only a few inches to the right, hitting the tree trunk behind him. Most of the blade had become embedded in the wood.

Reyna made no effort to follow-up, but her gaze was cold and icy. Nico didn’t stick around to see what that was about. He bent down and touched the shadows, disappearing into the pool of darkness.

 

* * *

* * *

 

 

“He’s gone,” one of her soldiers said. “You … you missed your shot, praetor.”

“Poor lighting,” Reyna said. “Inform the Legion to cease our efforts. He’s clearly recovered enough to escape in full this time.”

“Right away.”

Reyna stared at the flickering shadow in front of her. This was a mess. She despised lying to her own men – it just wasn’t a good war tactic, not to mention spineless and an example of poor leadership. Dirty, disgraceful, and a hypocrite to her own ideals. Those are the words she would use to describe herself. She had effectively funneled their resources into fighting against the good of the world, with halfwits like Octavian at the helm.

And in reality, Reyna didn’t even know if she trusted Nico. It was word of mouth by Jason, but after all the trouble that he caused, she had a hard time believing anything. So her loyalty lay in the hands of a kid who she barely knew or cared for over the people who she considered family.

Damn it all. If only there was something more she could do …

Reyna turned her back on the shadow, stamping out the fire that helped cast it. Argentum’s fire always caught ablaze no matter the surface. It had its uses in the past, but it did have its annoyances.

“The past,” Reyna said with a sigh.

The assault on Mount Othrys all those years back was difficult and unbearable, yet straightforward. At least there, all they had to do was focus on the enemies by battering them with Imperial gold swords.

When did the primordials get so good at playing the long game?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's commentary (you can totally skip this, btw): as a person who mainly works through visual media, it's been an experience learning what can and can't be expressed through writing vs. drawings, as well as what translates between the two. I've found myself trying to write moments in fights and slow moments then realize it's hard to express or is pace-breaking to explain something in words when a simple visual would have explained it better and in a few seconds. Sometimes I just wish I could draw the moment! Conversely, you can't explore themes and ideas the same way in a visual narrative like you can through writing without a weird device attached to it. Anyway, enough of that rambling ^^
> 
> Thanks for reading,
> 
> Cheers!


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